Petrobras Signs Petroleum Coke Export Contract at Porto do Acu, Up to 600,000 Tonnes a Year
Petrobras and Porto do Acu have signed a contract for regular exports of petroleum coke through the Terminal Multicargas (T-Mult) at Sao Joao da Barra in the Brazilian state of Rio de Janeiro, with up to 600,000 tonnes moved per year.
The contract covers receipt, storage and export of the cargo through the terminal, and is the first between the two companies for this type of movement. It runs for one year with the option to renew for five more. The first operation is scheduled for the end of August.
The volume draws on output from four refineries in the Sudeste region: REGAP at Betim, REDUC at Duque de Caxias, REPLAN at Paulinia and REVAP at Sao Jose dos Campos. Green petroleum coke is described as a high commercial value by-product generated in the refining process, usable as a fuel in industrial processes.
The terminal has 500 metres of operational quay. Since operations at the Acu terminal began in 2016, 26 different cargo types have been handled there, including solid bulk, breakbulk and project cargo, according to Porto do Acu chief executive Eugenio Figueiredo.
"The volume exported through Acu demonstrates the capacity to meet the demands of a dynamic global market. This contract reinforces our positioning as a logistics hub," Figueiredo said in a statement.
The export line follows a series of new buyers for the by-product. In the second quarter, Petrobras said it had completed its first export of green petroleum coke to Sunstone in China, its seventh new client in 2026. In June, the company reported sales to Saudi Aramco, described as the largest oil company in the world.
Beyond exports, Porto do Acu provides other services to the state-controlled company, including preparation for the sustainable recycling of decommissioned platforms.
That mix places the coke contract inside a broader commercial relationship rather than a standalone cargo deal. For a refiner, coke is a residue at the bottom of the barrel; contracting fixed terminal capacity for receipt, storage and loading converts it into a repeatable export flow with defined logistics costs. The one-year term with a five-year renewal option keeps the commitment short while the buyer base is still being built out.
The buyer list assembled so far points east and to the Gulf, with the China sale and the Saudi Aramco sales both booked this year. For traders tracking bottom-of-the-barrel flows, the relevant figure is the annual ceiling of 600,000 tonnes through a single multicargo berth of 500 metres, fed by four inland refineries.
The article reporting the contract, published on August 20, 2026, cites UOL as its source.