Porto Itapoá has announced it will install over 1,800 power outlets for refrigerated containers in the next six months, with 540 being installed by December.
Combined with the current 2,958 outlets, the terminal will then have 4,038 in total, the biggest number of outlets in Santa Catarina State, and the second biggest in the country.
Animal protein exports, one of the most important economic activities in the region, represent most of the refrigerated loads handled at Porto Itapoá.
The Brazilian Animal Protein Association (ABPA) estimates that pork exports are expected to reach a record volume of up to 1.325 million tonnes by the end of the year, an increase of up to 7.7 per cent when compared to 2023.
For 2025, initial estimates indicate exports of up to 1.375 million tonnes, an estimated increase of up to 3.8 per cent when compared to 2024. Chicken meat exports are expected to grow up to 2.2 per cent this year, with estimates of sales totalling 5.25 million tonnes abroad in 2024, with expectations of reaching 5.35 million tonnes in 2025.
Felipe Fioravanti Kaufmann, Business Development and Client Experience Director, said: “The increase in the number of power outlets was already foreseen in the expansion plan for the terminal, but their implementation was anticipated in order to meet the needs of the productive sector.
“The 2023 ABPA Annual Report shows that the State was responsible for over 50 per cent of pork exports from all of Brazil, ranking first in this regard.
“With regard to chicken meat, Santa Catarina was the second largest exporter in the country, representing 21 per cent of total exports.”
READ: Porto Itapoá enjoys historic first half of 2024
Until August 2024, Porto Itapoá had already handled 77,961 TEU of reefer loads – a term used to refer to refrigerated loads. This number is 34 per cent higher than the number of loads handled in the same period last year, which totalled 57,994 TEU.
“This increase is due to the growth in the volume of exports from clients and the increase in the number of clients that we have served in this segment, which has doubled in the last year,” said Kaufmann.
The destination of most of this year’s exports was China, with approximately 13 per cent, followed by the Philippines, with 9.9 per cent, the United Arab Emirates, with 9.4 per cent, and Japan, with 8.4 per cent, among others, this list comprising over 90 countries in total.
Earlier this summer, Porto Itapoá acquired a fleet of 20 new electric trucks for its internal operations.
Just last week, the port successfully operated three ships at the same with the use of portainers.
