The origin of the name Sepetiba is the Tupi, which has the word "Sipitiba" as an alternative and çape-typa or çape-tyua as a corruption of the name, meaning Campo dos Sapés (Sapé field, in English), or Sapezal.
Close to Sepetiba is the port of Sepetiba Terminal. The port handles containers and general bulk cargo. Its maximum draft is 22.5m.[1]