Antaq begins privatization process for ports of Vitória and Barra do Riacho (ES)

On December 28th, ANTAQ (the national waterway transport agency), opened a public consultation for the concession process of the Ports of Vitória and Barra do Riacho, under the current management of Companhia Docas do Espírito Santo (CODESA). The project will be a pioneer in the transfer of activities performed by a dock company to private partners and is part of the company’s privatization process – the first of its kind in Brazil.

The expectation is that the new model, which will be more flexible in terms of managing and establishing performance indicators, will generate investments that can contribute to the increase of national competitiveness. In the concession proposal, the object of the contract will mainly cover the performance of the port administration functions and the indirect operation of the port facilities. In order to preserve competition within the ports, the concessionaire will not be able to act directly on cargo handling.

The concession model, developed by the BNDES, provides for mandatory investments of at least R$ 1.6 billion over its term, including R$ 63 million in infrastructure recovery, R$ 530 million in operation and maintenance, R$ 772 million in maintenance dredging at the ports of Vitória and Barra do Riacho, and R$ 290 million in improvements in land access to the port.

Other investments may be made in partnership with those interested in exploring areas available for cargo handling and terminal implantation. Today, the Port of Vitória has about 400,000m² of operational areas available for the development of new businesses. In Barra do Riacho, there are more than 500,000 m².

The project foresees a 35-year concession of the organized ports. The public consultation will present the main regulatory aspects for the exploration of these assets and the studies that support the modeling. During the consultation period (accessible on the ANTAQ website at http://web.antaq.gov.br/Sistemas/LeilaoInternetV2/PaginaPrincipal.aspx) civil society, government entities, and potential investors may ask questions and propose contributions to the project. The bidding notice should be published in the third quarter of 2021 and the auction is expected to be held in the fourth quarter of the same year.

See the graph below for cargo handling at Port of Vitoria:

Cargo Handling at the Port of Vitoria | Jan 2017 – Oct 2020 | WTMT

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