APM Terminals Pecém hits record volumes for 2023/24 fruit harvest season

APM Terminals Pecém, the main operator of the Port of Pecém in Brazil, reported a year-on-year growth of 8% for the 2023/2024 harvest period.

Situated near the fruit-rich region in northeastern Brazil, the Pecém terminal serves as a hub for exporting various fruits like watermelons, melons, grapes, mangoes, limes, lemons, and almonds.

Approximately 40 percent of these perishable goods are bound for the Netherlands, while 29 percent find their way to the United Kingdom.

Beyond fruits, Pecém facilitates substantial exports of construction materials, footwear, and plastics, while its imports primarily consist of iron and heavy industrial products.

The fruit export service began last August, involving the movement of containers loaded with fruits (melon, watermelon, mango, and grapes) produced in the states of Bahia, Pernambuco, Rio Grande do Norte, and Ceará – the main region for the production and export of fresh tropical fruits in Brazil.

In August 2023, APM Terminals Pecém surpassed the barrier of 23,000 containers handled in a single month for the first time.

The growth trend continued, achieving 32,058 moves in October and 32,466 in December 2023 when monthly moves exceeded 32,000 containers. In total, last year saw the handling of exactly 283,079 containers – an average of 23,589 per month. Of this total, 53% were coastal movements, and 47% were long-haul.

The terminal operator said that this was the best annual result ever achieved in the 21 years of APM Terminals’ operation at the Port of Pecém.

“In 2023, APM Terminals Pecém witnessed a significant year marked by remarkable growth. We achieved a record number of container movements at the end of last year, representing an increase of approximately 15% compared to the previous year,” Daniel Rose, CEO of APM Terminals Pecém, said.

“This achievement is also explained by the fact that we have regained a significant portion of the fruit export market in Brazil.”

Furthermore, the last two months of the season saw gains of 29% and 15% in January and February respectively.

“The latest results from the harvest for January (25,612 moves) and February (20,455 moves) reinforce the evolution started in 2023 and confirm the growth trend for 2024. We are excited about the contribution we are making to Brazilian agribusiness,” concluded Rose.

APM Terminals Pecém is among the few Brazilian terminals that can accommodate ultra-large container vessels (ULCVs) up to 400 meters in length and 56 meters in width.

In 2022, the terminal operator invested around USD 30 million in the acquisition of three electric rubber-tired gantry cranes RTGs for container operation, and a ship-to-shore crane to bolster the terminal‘s productivity.