Delays of Up to 30 Days at the Port of Santos Intensify Pressure on Argentine Logistics – Trade News | 18/10/26

The Port of Santos, Brazil’s main port complex and one of the region’s leading logistics hubs, is experiencing congestion levels that are causing delays of up to 30 days for certain operations, affecting maritime connectivity and increasing pressure on Argentine foreign trade, which is increasingly dependent on regional transshipment hubs to access international ocean shipping routes. According to the Maritime Agencies Union of the State of São Paulo (Sindamar-SP), container ships that miss their scheduled berthing windows must wait two to three days before docking, incurring additional costs of between US$60,000 and US$100,000 per day, depending on vessel length. The situation is more critical for vessels carrying fertilizers, which face waiting times of 30 days or more at private terminals and up to three days at public berths. Data from Brazil’s National Waterway Transportation Agency (Antaq) reflects the growth in port activity, with cargo volumes increasing from 96.9 million tonnes in 2016 to 142.8 million tonnes in 2025, while waiting times for liquid bulk carriers reach 8.33 days at Alemoa and 3.54 days at Ilha Barnabé. For Argentina, this situation is leading to cargo rollovers and rescheduling, higher operational surcharges, rising spot freight rates and increased risks of failing to meet export contracts, while also affecting the availability of imported capital goods and intermediate inputs. However, the Santos Port Authority (APS) downplayed the private sector’s warnings, stating that container vessel berthing operations remain within normal parameters and dismissing concerns about significant maritime queues. As a structural solution, the development of the Santos 10 Container Terminal (Tecon), at the Saboó wharf, is planned, although its full operational capacity would not become available until mid-2030, provided that the postponed and legally contested tender can proceed in 2027. The situation highlights the vulnerability of Argentine logistics to infrastructure limitations at the region’s main transshipment hubs. Link to Article