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Cecafé Reports 1,542 “Stranded” Containers and 508.7 Thousand Bags Unshipped Due to Port Deficiencies, Delays, and Schedule Changes Affected Half of the Ships in July 2025.
Brazil missed receiving R$ 1.084 billion in July 2025 because 508,732 bags of 60 kg of coffee were not shipped. The volume corresponds to 1,542 stranded containers due to port infrastructure failures, according to a survey by the Council of Coffee Exporters of Brazil (Cecafé), which has been monitoring delays and schedule changes since June 2024.
The calculation takes into account the average FOB price of green coffee and the average exchange rate of the dollar for the month, which also amounts to US$ 196 million in foreign currency revenue. This assessment was confirmed by industry outlets as they reported on Cecafé’s bulletin.
In addition to the foreign exchange loss, exporters incurred R$ 4.14 million in extra storage costs, detentions, pre-stacking, and gate anticipation just in July. Since the monitoring began in 2024, the sector has reported R$ 83.061 million accumulated in unforeseen expenses related to delays and schedule changes.
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What Held Back Coffee Exports in July
According to Cecafé, 51% of the ships that operated in the main Brazilian ports in July experienced delays or schedule changes. In practice, each adjustment to docking windows shortens gate deadlines, increases queues, and raises the risk of container rollovers, resulting in containers being left for subsequent trips.
The Port of Santos accounted for 80.4% of coffee shipments between January and July. In July, there were 65% of cases of delays or schedule changes among 182 container ships, with a maximum wait of 35 days. The Rio de Janeiro complex, the second-largest coffee corridor, recorded 37% of delays and peaks of 40 days between the first and last deadlines.
The July figures add to a history of bottlenecks. In May 2025, for example, 356.3 thousand bags went unshipped, and additional costs reached R$ 2.7 million, demonstrating that the problem is recurring and not isolated.
Direct Impact on Producers and the Coffee Chain
The technical director of Cecafé, Eduardo Heron, emphasizes that Brazil is one of the countries that passes on the FOB price to producers the most, with an average exceeding 90% in recent years. When export revenue does not come in, the transfer to coffee growers decreases, compressing margins across the chain.
In addition to the loss of competitiveness, there is a reputational effect. Frequent delays lead importers to revise contracts, deadlines, and premiums, which may shift future purchases to origins with more predictable logistics. Sectors like specialty coffees feel this even more because roasting and launching schedules are sensitive to delivery timing. (Analysis based on data from DTZ and market dynamics.)
In the short term, exporters absorb extraordinary storage and detention costs. In the medium term, inefficiency raises freight costs, reduces shipping windows, and pressures the premium on Brazilian coffee in international negotiations, particularly when the harvest increases demand for containers.
Why the Second Half of the Year is Concerning
Cecafé forecasts a deterioration in the second half of 2025. With the more intense arrival of freshly harvested coffee and no increase in capacity at the terminals, the pressure on patios and berths is expected to grow. Without emergency measures, the queue of containers could extend, and the snowball effect on costs and deadlines could amplify.
In the 1st quarter of this year, there were already signs of saturation: specialized reports indicated that Santos accounted for nearly 78% of the shipments during the period and accumulated 63% of delays or schedule changes, with waits reaching up to 42 days. These data help explain why bottlenecks transformed into billion-dollar losses mid-year.
For coffee growers and the industry, the message is clear: without logistical fluidity, domestic prices suffer from the mismatch between supply and shipment, and foreign currency revenue — crucial for the sector’s cash flow — gets stuck.
What is Being Done, Indicators, Articulation, and Auctions
Cecafé states it has met with the Observatory of the Brazilian Institute of Infrastructure (IBI) to improve logistical indicators and create specific monitoring indices for coffee. The entity also mentions a partnership with Logística Brasil and advocacy movements in Brasília to expedite terminal auctions and expand patio and berth capacity.
In this debate, the Tecon Santos 10 project, a megaterminal at the Port of Santos considered critical for the consolidation of a port hub, gained traction. The topic has been discussed at the TCU and CADE, and there are expectations for the auction to take place in 2025. Local port media reported deadline adjustments and recent negotiations by the government to enable the bidding process in the second half of December.
The agenda for public discussion includes initiatives such as the Porto Livre Brasil portal, launched by research centers to qualify the debate on infrastructure and port policies, focusing specifically on container bottlenecks.
From your point of view, what weighs more in this coffee crisis: lack of investment and management in ports, excessive concentration in Santos, or poor predictability of shipping windows? Comment below, we want to see your opinion.
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