Uptick at the ports of Rio Grande do Sul
In some parts of the globe, Covid-19 did not stop business development. The growth rate in the ports of Rio Grande do Sul (Brazil), reached 4.5% from January to May 2020, compared to the same period the year before.In these five months, cargo transportation surged to 16.3 million t in all in three public ports Porto Alegre, Pelotas and Rio Grande. The port of Rio Grande set a new record mark due to soybean grain exports, which grew more than 34.9% in this period, the main port of Rio Grande do Sul transported more than 15.5 million t in total.
May was also a peak month for all three ports with 4.29 million t of all types of cargo handled, historically the best month of May for the ports complex. In detail, the Port of Pelotas moved 414,000 t, a surge of 21.6% compared to the same period in 2019.
Porto Alegre, due to restrictions caused by the dredging work on the Feitoria Channel, witnessed a decrease in cargo, counting 62,000 t less than in 2019 (-14.3%). The sectors most affected were chemicals for fertilisers, which decreased 16.8% and in iron or steel coils, which shrank by 51.9%. Nevertheless, loading wheat in the capital of Rio Grande do Sul showed an increase of 5.6% in the period, despite draft restrictions. (mw)