Key Brazil Port Bustles as China Poised to Shift Away From US

Donald Trump’s trade war may have crushed global commodity prices, but it’s good news for one of Brazil’s largest ports, which is seeing an uptick in export volumes.

Porto do Açu in Rio de Janeiro state, the country’s No. 1 oil export port, was already investing in extra capacity to help resolve trading bottlenecks in agriculture and minerals. Tariff-induced distortions in global trade are now providing an additional boost, it says.

“When the threats started, demand started to rise,” João Braz, the port’s terminals and logistics director, said in an interview. “We’re in a really good position here.”

Two tankers transhipping oil at the Port do Açu.

Photographer: Dado Galdieri/Bloomberg

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