State of Espirito Santo
Port of Tubarão moves 130 million tonnes annually through a single chokepoint—the world's largest iron ore terminal demonstrates how commodity concentration creates both prosperity and vulnerability.
Espírito Santo built its economy around a single chokepoint: the Port of Tubarão. Vale's terminal here moves 130 million tonnes annually—the world's largest iron ore export facility. In 2024, the Vitória-Minas Railway transported 108 million tonnes of products, including 88 million tonnes of iron ore from Minas Gerais' interior mines.
This concentration creates economic power and vulnerability. The port contributed 13% of state GDP in 2016. Average loading rates of 12,000 tonnes/hour (nominal 16,000) make Tubarão among the world's fastest bulk terminals. But single-commodity dependency means global iron ore prices directly determine state revenue. The 2024 China slowdown rippled through state finances.
The 905-kilometer railway represents path-dependent infrastructure: built to move ore, it now carries additional products (soy, coal, corn, limestone—20 million tonnes in 2024) but remains fundamentally an extraction corridor. This pattern—interior resources flowing through coastal chokepoints—defined Brazilian development since colonial sugar mills.
Espírito Santo increasingly diversifies into oil and gas (Campos Basin), agribusiness, and steel production. The state positions itself as Brazil's largest iron ore pellet exporter and a significant steel producer. Environmental innovation includes plastic-derived dust suppressant for ore piles—addressing air quality without reducing throughput.