Ports and Airports Minister Silvio Costa Filho said the project, to be implemented between 2025 and 2029, will raise the terminal’s operational capacity by 70.5 percent, from 440,000 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) per year to 750,000 TEUs annually.
Major capacity upgrade underway
The expansion is seen as a key step in consolidating Rio de Janeiro as a strategic logistics hub for Brazil’s Southeast and Midwest regions, while easing congestion at other major ports.
Costa Filho underscored the project’s importance to the modernization and competitiveness of the national port system, a core priority of his administration.
Infrastructure, equipment, and technology
Of the total investment, about R$414.4 million will be allocated to infrastructure works, while R$533.5 million will be used to acquire state-of-the-art equipment.
Planned improvements include the unification and expansion of storage yards, reconfiguration of terminal buildings to optimize internal traffic flows, and upgrades to utility and electrical systems.
The project also covers the acquisition of new container-handling equipment, alongside investments in technology and automation aimed at improving operational efficiency and customer service.
Advanced access control, monitoring, and cargo management systems will be deployed, while terminal infrastructure will be upgraded to comply with recent regulatory requirements, particularly those of the Brazilian Federal Revenue Service.
Environmental sustainability measures will also be integrated, aligned with ICTSI’s global decarbonization commitments.
Supporting national logistics growth
Roberto Lopes, chief executive officer of the Rio Brasil Terminal, said the expansion reinforces ICTSI’s long-term commitment to Brazil.
“This is a transformative project that strengthens the efficiency and competitiveness of the national logistics chain,” Lopes said.
“In addition to expanding capacity at Rio Brasil Terminal, the investment will help mitigate congestion at the Port of Santos by better distributing port demand across the country.”
ICTSI has already invested more than R$190 million in the Rio–Minas and Rio–Suzano logistics corridors, with a strong focus on rail transport.
Ready for larger vessels
The upgraded terminal will be capable of handling new Panamax and post-Panamax vessels, up to 366 meters in length and with capacities exceeding 13,000 TEUs.
Two new cranes, set to arrive by mid-2026, are designed to service vessels of up to 400 meters.
Container volumes at the Port of Rio de Janeiro have been rising steadily since 2023, mirroring growth in Brazilian foreign trade—a trend expected to continue in the coming years.
With additional yard capacity and cranes becoming available in 2026, ICTSI Rio is already offering expanded capacity to customers.
Once fully implemented, the terminal is expected to operate at around 75 percent capacity utilization between 2029 and 2030, improving predictability, lowering logistics costs, and enhancing resilience against port bottlenecks.
Anders Kjeldsen, ICTSI vice president for the Americas, said the project highlights the company’s commitment to bringing global best practices to Brazil’s port sector. —Ed: Corrie S. Narisma
