Asia Shipping leads freight forwarding market in southern Brazil in 2009

Asia Shipping Transportes Internacionais became the leading freight forward in the southern region of Brazil in 2009 for container imports from every continent. According to figures issued by the Datamar consultancy, the company managed imports of 15,309 TEU (twenty-foot equivalent unit) in the state of Paraná, Santa Catarina and Río Grande do Sul.

Asia Shipping therefore retains one of the three top positions in the ranking for container imports from all continents to Brazil and is still leader in a specific area of trade between Asia and South America. Also of note, the company is the only 100% Brazilian owned multinational on the freight forward a ranking, which is basically made up of foreign multinationals.

According to Asia Shipping's commercial director, Alexandre Pimenta, the company's leadership is based mainly on the infrastructure it has built up in recent years. It has seven offices in China: Tiajing, Xangai, Ningbo, Guangzhou, Shenzen, Hong Kong and Chongquing.

Office in Itajaí (SC)

Leadership in the southern region of Brazil is also based on its strategy of setting up new offices. Last month, a unit was opened at the Port of Itajaí (SC). This brings the total of South American officers to eight: São Paulo (SP), Santos (SP), Vitória (ES), Rio de Janeiro (RJ), Curitiba (PR), Paranaguá (PR), Porto Alegre (RS), Quito and Guayaquil (Equador).

According to Pimenta, the new unit was opened to meet market demand. We saw the potential in the region and want to consolidate our operations as we have done in other Southern states in Brazil, where we already have offices.

The executive said that the main cargo operations out of the port involve ceramics, plywood, car parts, refrigerated cargo and other products.

The port is also important globally. In the 2009 annual published by British magazine Container Management, which publishes the world top container port (a ranking of the world's biggest ports by container volume), the port was listed. Apart from Santos, which is in 41st position, handling 2.674 million TEU in 2008, the only other Brazilian port on the list is Itajaí, in 120th position, handling 700,000 TEU.

However, the company is not only going based on trade with Asia. Through its network of representatives, Asia Shipping provides global air and sea shipping services.

Since expanding its services to other continents around two years ago, Asia Shipping has been reinforcing its partnerships with representatives abroad. Asia Shipping recently signed a deal with AGC Newtral, from Spain.

About Asia Shipping

Asia Shipping Transportes Internacionais, a multinational company which was founded in Brazil over 14 years ago, is the only domestic freight forwarder to stand among the major global conglomerates in Latin America, according to figures from Datamar, a business consultancy.

Through a network of 17 offices in South America and Asia and representatives at the main ports and airports worldwide, Asia Shipping provides global import and export services.