Result driven by increase in beef shipments
Between January and August 2024, the company that manages the Paranaguá Container Terminal (TCP) recorded a 2,030% increase in reefer exports from Paraguay, totaling 2,598 TEUs (equivalent to a 20-foot container) shipped in this segment.
“With the qualification of more production plants and the opening up of new markets, Paraguayan beef exporters are increasing their presence at the Paranaguá Container Terminal, where they can find specialized services for reefer cargo, as well as the largest yard for storing refrigerated containers in South America, which currently has 5,268 sockets,” explains TCP’s commercial, logistics and service manager, Giovanni Guidolim.
Among the three biggest importers of Paraguayan beef are Chile, Taiwan and Brazil, but the United States has been gaining ground mainly with the purchase of lean beef, destined for the production of hamburgers.
Overall, exports of reefer and dry containers originating in the neighboring country grew by 503% at the Terminal, from 501 TEUs in the first eight months of 2023 to 3,022 TEUs in the same period of 2024, with refrigerated cargo accounting for 86% of this volume. TCP’s commercial manager for shipowners, Carolina Merkle Brown, points out: “The 20 maritime services and 24 regular weekly calls that serve the Paranaguá Container Terminal are a factor that brings greater security and reliability to the Paraguayan trade, whether to market their products with established commercial partners or to reach new markets.”
Handling of Paraguayan cargo more than doubled in 2024
TCP achieved a 161% increase in the volume of cargo handled to or from Paraguay between January and August this year. The figure rose from 2,335 TEUs to 6,085 in the comparison between 2023 and 2024 for the period.
“The Paranaguá Container Terminal has the infrastructure of the Paraguayan Free Warehouse, a requirement for the international transport of imported cargo bound for the neighboring country, and an important differential that further strengthens the market’s confidence in operating through TCP,” Guidolim says.
While imports grew by 67%, rising from 1,834 TEUs to 3,065 TEUs, especially goods from the agricultural, automotive and textile segments, exports rose by 503%, from 501 TEUs to 3,022 TEUs, driven by shipments of meat, wood and food products.
