Santos port congestion threatens Brazil's nitrogen fertilizer delivery timing

The Port of Santos, one of the most important entry points for fertilizers into Brazil, is experiencing congestion, with waiting times around 30 days at key terminals, according to market participants.

The delays at the São Paulo port, among Brazil's main entry points for nutrient shipments, come at a key time for nitrogen fertilizer deliveries, which are already considered late for this time of year.

"Fertilizer vessels are currently experiencing significant congestion in Santos," a trader said. A cargo of ammonium sulfate (AS) from China, he said, has now been in the waiting line for 24 days between arrival at Santos anchorage and its scheduled berthing window at the Termag terminal.

According to a second trader, "the fact of Santos being connected to the railway, improving logistical costs, made it a better transportation option for many and this has congested the port."

The costs of delays do not directly affect CFR prices, though this depends on the deal.

The current AS lineup in Santos stands at 291,000 metric tons for October, 218,000 mt for November and 157,000 mt for December, according to a market participant.

For November, waiting times are at around 31 days, doubling last year´s timing during the same period, a large importer of nitrogen fertilizers told Platts.

According to the source, the December line in Santos has already reached 25 days, compared with six days a year earlier.

The longer waits could raise concerns about whether ammonium sulfate will reach Brazil's Cerrado region in time for the safrinha corn season in Q1, the buyer said.

Brazil is net short of nitrogen fertilizers. Combined import volumes of urea and ammonium sulfate in the first nine months of the year fell 21% year over year, according to government data. Volumes totaled 7.95 million mt in the nine-month period, down from 10.02 million mt in January-September 2025, according to data from the Brazilian foreign trade agency.

The second trader estimated 1,029,372 mt of urea arriving in Brazil in October, which is considered a healthy lineup given the timing for distribution before the safrinha application.

However, so far, November has fewer than 500,000 mt set to arrive, a figure lower than in previous years but there was still time for more imports to be booked.

Brazil's urea imports in January and September were particularly hit by high prices due to the war in the Middle East: imports reached 3.58 million mt, down from 4.50 million mt in January-September 2025.

Fertilizer volumes increase in Santos

According to the last Logistics Bulletin published by the government´s National Supply Company (Conab), Brazil imported 25.38 million mt of fertilizers between January and August 2026, down 14% from the same period in 2025.

Besides a reduction on phosphate fertilizer application for the ongoing soybean season, the nitrogen nutrients reduced markedly, particularly due to the Middle East conflict.

Despite the volume reduction, the Santos port, located in southeastern Sao Paulo state, was the only one that registered growth compared to last year. Santos received 5.8 million mt of fertilizers from January-August, compared to 4.8 in Jan-Aug 2025.

The volume was higher than that delivered at the Paranagua port in Parana state, which had been the primary port for fertilizer arrivals in Brazil in previous years.

In January-August 2026, 5.6 million mt of fertilizer was delivered to Paranagua, compared with 7.5 million mt in the same period last year, according to Conab data.

Ports in the Arco Norte, a northern region of Brazil, totaled 7.2 million mt in the first eight months of the year, down from 8.6 million mt in January-August 2025. Other minor ports, such as Rio Grande and Sao Francisco do Sul (South) and Vitoria (Southeast), also decreased.

Platts, part of S&P Global Energy, assessed compacted/granular ammonium sulfate at $259-$264/mt CFR Brazil and its weekly granular urea assessment at $465-$485/mt CFR Brazil on Oct. 15.