Portonave
Portonave is a private container port terminal in Navegantes, Brazil, offering container handling, fully automated cold storage (Iceport), gate operations, and special cargo services to shipping lines, exporters, importers, and customs brokers across the Americas, Europe, and Asia.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2007
- HeadquartersNavegantes, Brazil
- Headcount501–1,000
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Portonave does
Portonave S/A – Terminais Portuários de Navegantes operates Brazil's first private container port terminal, located on the Itajaí-Açu River in Navegantes, Santa Catarina. Established in 2007 and wholly owned by Swiss-based Terminal Investment Limited (TiL), the terminal handled 1.1 million TEUs in 2025, representing approximately 9% of Brazil's long-haul full-container market and roughly 50% of Santa Catarina's container traffic, and ranks as the country's most vessel-productive terminal at 114 movements per hour (ANTAQ, 2025). Its physical infrastructure includes 3 berths, a 900-meter quay, 6 ship-to-shore (STS) cranes, 18 electric rubber-tyred gantry (RTG) cranes, 10 gates, 3,210 reefer plugs, and 1.8 km of dedicated port avenue; annual capacity is being expanded from 1.5 million to 2 million TEUs through a R$1.5–2 billion quay-infrastructure program underway with Besix since January 2024.
Portonave firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Portonave
- Legal name
- Portonave S/A – Terminais Portuários de Navegantes
- Website
- https://portonave.com.br
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2007
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 501–1,000 employees
- Short description
- Portonave is a private container port terminal in Navegantes, Brazil, offering container handling, fully automated cold storage (Iceport), gate operations, and special cargo services to shipping lines, exporters, importers, and customs brokers across the Americas, Europe, and Asia.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Portonave industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Container Port Terminal Services
- NAICS
- Port and Harbor Operations (488310), Marine Cargo Handling (488320), Warehousing and Storage (4931)
- SIC
- Water Transportation (4400)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Container Terminal Operating Services & Management (Terminal Operator / Concessionaire) (TLAHAAAI)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Terminal Cargo Handling & Yard Operations (Receiving, Staging, Delivery) (TLAHALAB), Feeder & Short-Sea Container Terminals (TLAHAAAC), Stevedoring & Vessel Loading/Discharging (Ship-to-Shore Operations) (TLAHALAA)
Keywords
Where Portonave is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Navegantes
- HQ country
- Brazil
- HQ region
- Latin America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Portonave business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Container Terminal Handling Services: Port services for loading and unloading containers from vessels, including quay operations, crane handling, and yard operations. Revenue is generated through per-container handling fees based on TEU (twenty-foot equivalent unit) volumes
- Cold Storage Services (Iceport): Temperature-controlled cargo storage services including automated and conventional storage, cross-docking, container loading, inventory management, reefer monitoring, and picking operations. Revenue from storage fees per pallet position and handling charges
- Gate and Truck Operations: Container pick-up and drop-off services for truck carriers, including weighing scales, inspection scanning, and gate processing fees
- Special Cargo Handling: Handling of special cargo including breakbulk, heavy lift, military equipment (F-39 Gripen fighters), helicopters, trains, large generators, and oversized machinery
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Transaction based/ take rate | Per transaction | Container Terminal Handling Services |
| Unit Pricing | Per transaction | Cold Storage Services (Iceport) |
| Transaction based/ take rate | Per transaction | Gate Operations and Truck Processing |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels5 records
Portonave product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Portonave operates Brazil's first private container port terminal in Navegantes, Santa Catarina, providing container handling and storage services for international trade. Core offerings include quay-to-gate container terminal operations (loading/unloading, yard management, gate processing), fully automated cold storage (Iceport) for temperature-controlled cargo, maritime line connections to the Americas, Asia, and Europe, and specialized handling for special cargo such as defense equipment, helicopters, and oversized machinery. The terminal handles approximately 1.1 million TEUs annually with capacity expanding from 1.5 million to 2 million TEUs, supported by 6 STS cranes, 18 electric RTGs, and approximately 2,000 daily truck transactions.
Product overview
Portonave operates as Brazil's first private container port terminal, offering a unified port services platform with complementary modules and specialized services. The core product is container handling operations at the Navegantes terminal, supported by the Iceport cold storage facility (the first and only fully automated cold storage in a Brazilian port terminal) for temperature-controlled cargo. Additional digital tools include a Customer Portal for booking management, a Pricing Simulator for cost estimation, an Ethics Channel for compliance reporting, and an Ombudsman service for stakeholder feedback. The company provides maritime line services connecting Americas, Asia, and Europe, along with special cargo handling capabilities for defense and industrial equipment.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Quantifiable outcome
- 114 movements per hour vessel productivity - highest in Brazil
- +7 more outcomes
Companies that use Portonave
Customer profileNamed customers7 records
Segments5 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Portonave technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
AI capability1 record
Feature5 records
Portonave partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Eight partnerships are on record, tiered major, core and minor.
- Ocean Network Express (ONE)majorParticipates as slotter on the ZGT service under Vessel Sharing Agreement with ZIM. ONE sells slots on the service's ships without directly operating vessels, increasing capacity availability to the market.
- BesixcoreBelgian construction company with over 110 years of experience, responsible for the R$1.5 billion quay infrastructure improvement project. Besix is renowned for building the Burj Khalifa and is executing the port modernization works in two phases.
- ZIM Integrated Shipping ServicescoreLeading carrier operating the ZIM Gulf Toucan (ZGT) service with 8 vessels in rotation calling at ports in Mexico, US, Jamaica, Colombia, Brazil, Argentina and Uruguay. Provides weekly shipping service connecting East Coast of South America with Caribbean, US East Coast and Gulf of Mexico.
- Hapag-LloydcoreMajor shipping line operating the Ipanema service with regular vessel calls at Portonave, including the Santa Catarina Express vessel that handled the 15 million TEU milestone.
- MSC (Mediterranean Shipping Company)coreMSC Uruguay was the first vessel to dock at the terminal inauguration in 2007, marking the beginning of operations.
- Shanghai Zhenhua Heavy Industries (ZPMC)majorChinese manufacturer supplying new Ship-to-Shore cranes capable of handling loads up to 100 tons at 55 meters height, designed for the largest vessels worldwide (400m length, 61m beam).
- KonecranesmajorFinnish manufacturer producing new Rubber Tyred Gantry cranes (14 units), produced in Finland and assembled in China, with 41-ton capacity and 7-container stacking height.
- SpliethoffminorShipping company whose vessel Fagelgracht handled the 10th F-39 Gripen fighter jet delivery from Sweden.
Scale indicators14 records
Recent moves8 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Portonave competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- PSA International: One of the world's largest container terminal operators with global network. Comparable in container terminal operations and shipping line customers, though typically operates at much larger hub-port scale than regional facilities like Portonave.
- APM Terminals: Maersk-owned global port operator with terminals across Latin America including Brazil. Overlaps with Portonave in container terminal operations and target shipping line customers, but operates at much larger scale as part of integrated ocean carrier portfolio.
- Hutchison Ports: Global port operator with multiple container terminals worldwide including in Brazil and South America. Comparable in container handling operations and customer base, but with broader geographic footprint and multi-port network.
Others
- Terminal Investment Limited (TiL): Portonave's 100% parent company operating ~70 container terminals globally. Sister TiL terminals operate similar container handling businesses with comparable shipping line customers, providing operational benchmarking and shared best practices for Portonave.
Direct peers
- Brasil Terminal Portuário (BTP): Container terminal at the Port of Santos, Brazil's largest port. BTP competes for the same long-haul full-container shipping lines (MSC, Hapag-Lloyd, ZIM) and serves overlapping export/import customers, making it a direct competitor for carrier slot allocations.
- TCP - Terminal de Contêineres de Paranaguá: Brazilian container terminal in Paranaguá with similar TEU handling volumes, comparable shipping line customers, and direct competition for southern Brazil export flows including meat and forestry products. Most direct operational peer given similar scale and Brazilian container port focus.
- DP World Santos: Major container terminal at Santos operated by global port giant DP World. Directly competes for the same Brazilian export-import container flows and global shipping line partnerships that anchor Portonave's customer base.
- Itaguaí (Port of Itaguaí / SEPET): Major container terminal complex in Rio de Janeiro state serving Brazilian import-export flows. Direct competitor for shipping line customers and long-haul full-container throughput, with substantially larger draft capacity.
- Santos Brasil: Brazilian-listed container and logistics operator with terminals at Santos (Tecon Santos) and other ports. Competes for container shipping line customers and Brazilian export-import volume, with overlapping customer base in international trade.
Regional players
- TecPlata: Container terminal in Buenos Aires, Argentina, serving South American east coast container flows. Operates in adjacent regional market with similar shipping line customers and comparable South American export-import cargo profile, though primarily serving different hinterland.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat6 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Portonave social profiles
Digital presencePortonave compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance15 records
Portonave financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Portonave leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles8 records
Portonave subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries1 record
Portonave funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Portonave M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Portonave
What does Portonave do?
Portonave operates Brazil's first private container port terminal in Navegantes, Santa Catarina, providing container handling and storage services for international trade. Core offerings include quay-to-gate container terminal operations (loading/unloading, yard management, gate processing), fully automated cold storage (Iceport) for temperature-controlled cargo, maritime line connections to the Americas, Asia, and Europe, and specialized handling for special cargo such as defense equipment, helicopters, and oversized machinery. The terminal handles approximately 1.1 million TEUs annually with capacity expanding from 1.5 million to 2 million TEUs, supported by 6 STS cranes, 18 electric RTGs, and approximately 2,000 daily truck transactions.
Is Portonave a public or private company?
Portonave is a private company. It is classified as corporate owned and is currently operating.
When was Portonave founded?
Portonave was founded in 2007. It employs 501 to 1,000 people.
Where is Portonave based?
Portonave is headquartered in Navegantes, Brazil, in the Latin America region.
How does Portonave make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Container Terminal Handling Services are the primary driver. The others are cold Storage Services (Iceport), gate and Truck Operations and special Cargo Handling.
Who are Portonave's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are PSA International, APM Terminals and Hutchison Ports. Terminal Investment Limited (TiL) is listed as an others. Direct peers are Brasil Terminal Portuário (BTP), TCP - Terminal de Contêineres de Paranaguá, DP World Santos, Itaguaí (Port of Itaguaí / SEPET) and Santos Brasil. TecPlata is listed as a regional player.
Does Portonave have an API?
No public API is recorded for Portonave.
What industry is Portonave in?
Portonave's product category is Container Port Terminal Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is TLAHAAAI, Container Terminal Operating Services & Management (Terminal Operator / Concessionaire), with a secondary code of TLAHALAB, Terminal Cargo Handling & Yard Operations (Receiving, Staging, Delivery). Its NAICS code is 488310 and its SIC code is 4400.