Customs clearance for new Port of Vitoria area in final stretch

The customs-bonding process for the expansion of the Vila Velha Port Terminal (TVV) in the Port Complex of Vitoria is in its final stage and is expected to be completed within another 20 days. The estimate came from Adriana Junger Lacerda, the official in charge of customs at the Port of Vitoria.

“Some requests were made to the company responsible for the area, Log-In Logistica. If we receive a response this week and everything is in order, we will send the documentation to Rio de Janeiro, where the regional superintendency is located. I believe customs clearance will be authorized within another 20 days,” she said, referring to the approval required to handle cargo and/or people arriving from or departing abroad.

TVV is the only facility handling containers in Espirito Santo state. The terminal, which has faced excess demand for years and limited room to expand, currently has 103,000 square meters of back area. In an agreement with Vports, the concessionaire responsible for the port complex, it secured an additional 65,000 square meters last year, enabling an expansion of up to 40% in capacity. The 35 million reais invested in the infrastructure has already been completed, but Log-In executives complain they still cannot put the structure into operation because they have not yet received approval from the Brazilian Federal Revenue Service.

“Everything is ready, but we are still waiting for clearance from the Revenue Service. We know there are structural issues, but 160 days have already passed and we still have no response. The impact on Espirito Santo’s economy is enormous,” Gustavo Paixao, Log-In’s general director of terminals, said last Friday (March 20). “Expectations are for an increase in conilon coffee exports, and we are in this borderline situation. We may end up reliving what we saw in 2024.”

The customs official offered her explanation. “It may look as though the process has been stalled for 160 days, but that is not what is happening. The customs-bonding work is moving forward. It is not a simple matter, and that is important to say. We are not talking about a mere bureaucratic act, but about something that depends on on-site monitoring and successive inspections, which is why it is a process that can move back and forth many times. This is an area with imported goods, so it must be fenced, monitored and equipped with security, controls and a series of other requirements. That is precisely why the customs-bonding work can only begin after all construction work and the relevant permits and authorizations have been completed,” Adriana Junger Lacerda said.

Source: A Gazeta

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