The Autoridade Portuária de Santos (APS) estimates that the port handled 185 million tons in 2025, marking the ninth consecutive year of records. This volume represents a 2.8% growth from 2024 and would be the highest in the history of Latin America's main port complex. Despite criticisms about infrastructure, the entity highlights investments and efficiency.
The APS calculates that the Port of Santos handled 185 million tons in 2025, based on preliminary estimates. If confirmed, this mark surpasses the previous record of 179.8 million tons from 2024, representing a 2.8% increase. The number of docked ships exceeded the 5,557 from the previous year, consolidating the ninth consecutive year of growth — the last decline occurred in 2016, when volume fell from 119.9 million to 113.8 million tons.
Over the last five years, accumulated growth was 7%, according to the APS. Sector entrepreneurs criticize infrastructure issues, such as deficient access roads, docking delays, and the need to deepen the channel. However, the Authority's president, Anderson Pomini, considers these complaints punctual and sectoral. "It's something exclusively sectoral. If you research all cargoes, you won't have that feeling. The complaint from some companies happens because the market itself selects which cargo provides the greatest economic return," he states.
Pomini emphasizes that Santos is multipurpose, handling containers and bulk cargoes. In 2025, R$ 2 billion was invested in works, with a projection of R$ 9 billion between 2026 and 2028. Plans include works on access to the right bank, two new viaducts, perimeter avenue in Guarujá, decarbonization incentives, channel deepening to 16 meters, and auction of a bulk terminal. There is also the tunnel connecting Santos and Guarujá, and the concession of the Itatinga plant for green hydrogen production.
"Our challenge is to prove that a public port can have the efficiency that the market has," says Pomini. The Tecon 10 megaterminal in the Saboó neighborhood will be auctioned in March 2026, with operations starting in 2027 and full capacity in 2034, handling 50% of total cargo. Plans date back to 2013. With this, Santos should enter the top 20 of the Lloyd’s List, rising from 43rd to 37th in 2025 — the only Brazilian port in the top 100.
