ICTSI announces R$948mn expansion of Rio Brasil Terminal

Brazil’s minister of ports and airports, Silvio Costa Filho, has announced a new private investment of R$948mn (€148.9mn) in work to expand and modernise the operations of the International Container Terminal Services (ICTSI) Rio Brasil Terminal at the Port of Rio de Janeiro.

The project, which will be executed between 2025 and 2029, will increase the public terminal’s operational capacity by 70.5 per cent, from the current 440,000 TEUs per year to 750,000 TEUs.

The move is designed to consolidate Rio de Janeiro as a reference logistics hub for the Southeast and Midwest regions of Brazil, ICTSI noted.

Accompanied by local authorities and executives of ICTSI, the minister reinforced the strategic importance of the project for the expansion, modernisation and greater competitiveness of the national port system.

Essential expansion

The total investment of R$948mn comprises approximately R$414.4mn in infrastructure works and R$533.5mn in the acquisition of state-of-the-art equipment.

According to ICTSI, the actions include the unification and expansion of storage yards, rearrangement of buildings to optimise internal flows, acquisition of new equipment for container handling, modernisation of utility systems and electrical infrastructure, as well as investments in technology and automation, with increased efficiency of customer services.

“It’s an investment of almost R$1bn that will be essential for us to expand operations here at the port, going from 440,000 to 750,000 TEU and, in the future, perhaps reaching 1.2mn,” said Filho.

According to the minister, the measure also has a direct impact on employment and income.

“I always say: Brazil’s largest social programme is employment and income,” he continued, reinforcing the potential for generating opportunities with the expansion of the terminal.

Filho also highlighted the Port of Rio de Janeiro’s performance in 2025 and stated that the investment policy is part of a strategy to increase the competitiveness of the national port system.

“As of November 30, the Port of Rio had already grown 14 per cent in cargo movement,” he said.

”This is important because, when we put the port in partnership with the Federal Government, the state government and municipalities, we strengthen the country’s production chain and logistics.”

The project includes the implementation of advanced access control, monitoring and cargo management systems, as well as the adequacy of the infrastructure to meet recent regulatory requirements, especially the rules of the Brazilian Federal Revenue Service.

It also promotes environmental sustainability measures, ICTSI said, in line with its global commitments to responsible operations and decarbonisation.

“This is a transformative project that reinforces our commitment to Brazil and expansion, efficiency and competitiveness of the national logistics chain,” said Roberto Lopes, Rio Brasil Terminal chief executive officer.

”This effort is in addition to our investments in the Rio-Minas and Rio-Suzano logistics corridors, where ICTSI has already invested more than R$190mn, with an emphasis on rail transport.

”Thus, we will not only expand the capacity of the Rio Brasil Terminal but also be able to help mitigate the congestion observed in the Port of Santos, better distributing the port demand in the country,” he noted.

Efficiency gains and greater competitiveness

The expansion of the Rio Brasil Terminal will allow the terminal to continuously operate large vessels on the full berth, including new Panamax and post-Panamax vessels, up to 366 meters long (LOA) and with a capacity of more than 13,000 TEUs.

This adaptation is described as “essential” to keep up with the global trend of increasing the size of vessels that call the east coast of South America.

The first two new cranes already arriving mid-2026 are built for the world’s largest vessels with a length of 400 metres.

In addition, the Port of Rio de Janeiro has registered a ”significant and continuous increase in container handling”, a direct reflection of the growth of Brazilian foreign trade, the group pointed out.

Since 2023, there has been a ”significant increase” in volume handled, a trend that continues in 2025 and is expected to continue in the coming years.

“This investment is essential for Rio to increase its efficiency and maintain its competitiveness and its ability to absorb part of the demand currently concentrated in Santos,” said Lopes.

”We are talking about a project that benefits not only the terminal, but the entire economy of the Southeast and Midwest of Brazil.”

ICTSI stated that, with new cranes and additional yard capacity already being available in 2026, ICTSI Rio is already in the market offering additional capacity to customers.

With the full implementation of the investments, the terminal will be operating with capacity utilisation of around 75 per cent between 2029 and 2030, ensuring ”more predictability and competitiveness for the port of Rio de Janeiro”.

Without the interventions, the terminal could be saturated between 2027 and 2028, according to projections. 

“In Brazil, we are focused on bringing the highest international standards of operational efficiency and technological development to our operations,” added Anders Kjeldsen, ICTSI’s vice president for the Americas.

”This project demonstrates our long-term commitment to the development of Brazilian logistics competitiveness.”