Brazil’s Ports and Airports Minister Announces STS10 Auction for 2025 Amid Ongoing Disputes

Brazil’s Minister of Ports and Airports, Silvio Costa Filho, announced that the auction for the STS10 terminal is expected to take place in 2025. The area designated for container operations at the Port of Santos has been the center of controversy and disputes among port companies.

Costa Filho made the announcement following the auction of five port leases held on Wednesday (21st) at the B3 stock exchange in São Paulo. This was the first auction of its kind this year, organized by the National Waterway Transportation Agency (Antaq).

“We have been working hard on the development of STS10, which is a crucial project for Brazil. It’s essential, and we hope to conduct the auction here at B3 next year. This project was conceived some time ago, and over the past year and eight months, we have been refining this proposal, understanding the importance of enhancing the competitiveness and capacity of the Port of Santos,” Costa Filho stated.

The minister’s comments contrast with those made by Anderson Pomini, the President of the Santos Port Authority (APS), earlier this month. On August 1st, Pomini asserted during a press conference at APS headquarters that STS10 could not be operational until the construction of two overpass viaducts in Alemoa. These key infrastructure projects, aimed at easing access to the Right Bank, are expected to take four years to complete.

“Before expanding and considering new terminals, we need to have adequate access routes. If STS10 were operational now as originally planned, the city would be completely congested in the Alemoa area. Today, it’s only partially congested,” Pomini remarked at the time.

Ecoporto Lease

According to a report by Valor Econômico, the lease for the multipurpose Ecoporto terminal, operated by Ecorodovias and located partially within the STS10 area, is likely to be terminated. The lease expired in 2023 and has been extended three times, with the final extension set to expire in December this year.

The report indicated that Costa Filho mentioned that there had already been a decision not to renew the Ecoporto contract. If this decision is implemented, the STS10 area is expected to house the new cruise terminal in Santos, with the remaining space likely allocated to companies involved in container operations, addressing the sector’s demand for increased capacity at the Santos pier.

Port Auctions

The five port terminals auctioned on the 21st collectively raised R$4.75 million in concession fees. The auction included areas in the Ports of Recife (PE), Rio de Janeiro, and Rio Grande (RS), with 10-year contracts totaling R$74 million in investments.

The highest bid, R$3.6 million, was made by SCS Armazéns Gerais for the REC10 terminal after a live bidding competition with Agemar Transportes. Located at the Port of Recife, the terminal will handle and store solid bulk and general cargo, with an estimated R$2.9 million in investments.

SCS also bid for REC09, another terminal at the Port of Recife. However, Usina Petribú won with a bid of R$550,000 following another live bidding competition. This area handles and stores solid bulk and general cargo, particularly rice, with a projected R$2.2 million in investments.

Liquiport submitted a single bid of R$50,000 for the third terminal in Pernambuco, REC08. This terminal is designated for the handling and storage of vegetable solid bulk and is expected to attract direct investments of around R$51 million.

The Ports of Rio Grande (RS) and Rio de Janeiro assets received a single bid. Sagres Operações Portuárias secured the Rio Grande terminal with a R$50,000 bid. The Rio de Janeiro terminal, which stores and handles liquid general cargo, will be managed by Iconic Lubrificantes, whose bid was R$500,000. Estimated investments for these terminals amount to R$10.1 million.

Two more auctions are planned this year, one in October and another in December. In June, Antaq announced that the second auction would include three locations: ITG02 in Itaguaí (RJ), POA26 in Porto Alegre, and VDC04 in Vila do Conde (PA). The third auction is expected to include seven locations: MCP01 and MCP03 in Santana (AP), VDC10 and VDC29 in Vila do Conde (PA), PAR14 and PAR15 in Paranaguá (PR), and MUC14 in Fortaleza (CE).

Source: A Tribuna

Click here for this story’s original rendition: https://www.atribuna.com.br/noticias/portomar/area-para-conteineres-no-porto-de-santos-tera-leil-o-no-ano-que-vem-diz-ministro-1.431169

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