In the first half of 2025, SCPAR Porto de Imbituba posted strong results, consolidating its position as one of the main drivers of Santa Catarina’s economic development. By July this year, the port had recorded 162 vessel calls and handled more than 3.6 million tons of cargo.
This positive performance is primarily attributed to balanced growth across all maritime transport modes: exports, imports, cabotage, and transshipment.
Among the four, imports led with 1.68 million tons handled as of 2025, followed by exports at 1.45 million tons.
Cabotage (the transport of goods between locations within the same country) also saw strong performance, with 350,300 tons shipped and 93,700 tons received. Transshipment (the transfer of shipments between modes of transport) continued its upward trend, reaching nearly 41,300 tons.
The top-performing cargo types, in terms of both volume and growth, were petroleum coke, bituminous coal, salt, corn meal, and containers, which together accounted for more than 70% of the total volume moved.
A highlight was container cargo, which posted nearly 5% growth compared to the same period in 2024. This result reinforces the Port of Imbituba’s role as a strategic alternative for transporting higher-value goods.
Currently, about 180 containers pass through the port each day via rail
A notable figure is that roughly 180 containers now transit daily through the port using a railway network that spans over 164 km and crosses 14 municipalities.
Compared to 2024, when the port closed the year with 8.31 million tons and 329 vessel calls, the 2025 figures indicate growth and continued positive momentum for Imbituba’s port performance.
March and June stood out as the busiest months so far this year, with over 705,000 and 644,000 tons handled respectively. In those months, 31 and 25 vessels were serviced, respectively.
According to Port of Imbituba CEO Christiano Lopes, these strong results are reflected in new investments in infrastructure, sustainability, and logistics integration.
“Infrastructure investments and improvements to operational management systems, planned for later this year, should accelerate cargo throughput and increase the port’s appeal to new markets,” Lopes said.
See the chart below for the main goods exported via the Port of Imbituba during the first four months of 2025. The data is from DataLiner:
Main Goods Exported via the Port of Imbituba | Jan–April 2025 | TEU
Source:DataLiner (click here to request a demo)
Second half of 2025 includes new projects
Plans for the second half of 2025 include projects related to:
Infrastructure restoration
Expansion of the breakwater
Construction of the dolphin at Berth 2
Investments in tracking technology
Process digitalization
New shipping routes
Larger vessels
Operational expansion and strengthening
Port administration expects to handle more than seven million tons by year-end
Port authorities expect to close the year with more than seven million tons of throughput. According to data from the Ministry of Development, Industry, Trade,and Services, import and export operations at Imbituba generated more than US$800 million in the first six months of the year.
With rising activity, direct and indirect job creation have boosted the local logistics and service sectors. Port-city integration projects are also underway, strengthening institutional ties with the community and contributing to sustainable urban development.
Source: ND+
