Asia Shipping, Latin America’s largest logistics integrator, reports growth exceeding 30% in maritime imports carried out by the company in 2024 to Brazil, compared to the previous year. The shipments, which totaled 230,556 TEUs (a measure equivalent to a 20-foot container), represent the majority of the over 500,000 TEUs transported to Latin America as a whole. Sectors such as automobiles, appliances, and tires were among those with the highest demand during the period.
According to Alexandre Pimenta, CEO of Asia Shipping, Brazilian imports were driven by sectors that grew above average in 2024 and are expected to continue expanding in the coming months. ‘Only tires, which can be represented by new tires applied to passenger cars, saw a 15% increase in the period, with most of these imports coming from China,’ analyzes the executive.
Meanwhile, sales of appliances—another sector that led imports during the period—grew by 34% in the country in the first half of last year, according to the National Association of Electronics Manufacturers (Eletros). The expectation is that the sector will expand by around 15.6% in Brazil between 2024 and 2029, nearly double the growth recorded between 2019 and 2023, according to Euromonitor.
Unlike what was recorded in 2024, for 2025, according to Asia Shipping’s executive, air freight may gain more prominence as an alternative route for imports due to the tensions permeating the global geopolitical landscape. Despite the growth recorded by the company this year, many shipments had to be rerouted via maritime transport, facing delays and port congestion.
‘The forecast is that conflicts in the Red Sea will continue, and major carriers will need to divert their routes via Africa, considering alternative paths to the Suez Canal. To avoid congestion and delays in imports at ports, air transport will be an alternative,’ points out Pimenta.
Investments and Acquisitions
As part of its growth strategy, in 2024 Asia Shipping made two significant acquisitions. The first was Dati, a cloud-based, AI-driven platform that automates 87% of the steps in the import routine, providing insights that can make a difference in decision-making across various scenarios. From order tracking to cargo delivery, the platform gives importers and exporters visibility of their operations on a single screen—a solution that allows businesses to keep up with the dynamism of the competitive foreign trade market.
Another important acquisition for the company during this period was the Santa Catarina-based Hórus Logística. With this move, Asia Shipping began offering end-to-end logistics chain solutions with warehousing, cross-docking, and inventory management services, all leveraging technologies such as RFID tracking, warehouse management software (WMS), and Power BI (Business Intelligence).
