MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Documents for the auction of Port of Santos new container terminal approved by Brazilian government

To have an idea of the magnitude of the capacity increase in context, the Port of Santos has a total capacity of 5.3 million TEU

The documentation relative to the auction of the STS10 area of the Port of Santos has been approved. The Federal Government’s bet to improve container throughput at Santos is located in the Saboó region. The National Waterway Transportation Agency (Antaq) authorized the participation of vertical companies but included contractual clauses to prevent possible anti-competitive practices.

The new terminal will have a total area of 601,101 square meters. In the past, the area was split between Rodrimar and Deicmar terminals and a part of Ecoporto Santos. The capacity of the future terminal, as of the sixth contractual year, is estimated at 2.2 million TEU per year. The forecast is to reach 2.4 million TEU per year from the 11th year of the concession. Investments total R$ 2.7 billion.

To have an idea of the magnitude of the capacity increase in context, the Port of Santos has a total capacity of 5.3 million TEU. In 2021, 4.8 million TEUs passed through Brazil’s largest port. It is precisely this volume that makes the implementation of a new container terminal necessary.

Antaq permitted vertical organizations to participate in the STS10 auction but inserted contractual terms to prohibit anti-competitive behavior. These terms will apply if the winning bidder is a shipping company (or its subsidiary or parent firm) or if the winning bidder forms a consortium or other type of corporate composition with a shipping company.

“The development of a consortium agreement between shipping companies belonging to different economic groups that own a share of container handling and storage facilities at the Port of Santos will not be allowed. The clause applies to subsidiary companies, parent firms, affiliated companies, and legal entities under the same common control,” highlighted the regulatory agency.

The contract’s total value is estimated to be R$ 27.8 billion. The lease will be for 25 years, and it is expected that the lease will be signed this year and operations will begin in 2023.

The lease amounts owed by the winning bidder to the Port administration will be: R$ 6.2 million in fixed monthly installments and R$ 54.55 per container handled.