The Port of Pecém, located in Ceará, Brazil, handles around 20 million tons of cargo a year and is the most active port in the northeast region of Brazil. Since April, a new direct route to China has reduced transportation time between the two countries, speeding up trade and the local economy.

The route, operated by MSC, is expected to transport around 1,200 containers from China every week, according to Max Quintino, director of the Pecém port authority. The volume handled at the port is expected to grow by 10%, boosting bilateral trade and economic development in the Northeast.

The new route includes calls at the Chinese ports of Yantian, Ningbo, Shanghai and Qingdao, which benefits Brazilian logistics companies that increase imports from the Asian country. According to Quintino, his aim is to attract more Chinese companies to build and operate the port, improving the efficiency of the route and the import and export services between Brazil and China.

(Source: China 2 Brazil - Brazil, on July 3)