Future of Port of Santos expansion remains uncertain after recent public hearing

Expanding the Port of Santos operating area is crucial for increasing its throughput. However, given the little space available, this expansion project could run into a series of obstacles that may require more than political strength to be unlocked. That’s the general sentiment conveyed after the public hearing held on June 13 at the Santos Port Authority headquarters.

The region known as Vila dos Criadores, in the Alemoa neighborhood, due to its strategic location, is the primary target in APS’s expansion plans. However, the idea of expanding the port into the region faces two barriers: the contamination from an old dump and the presence of nearly 5,000 residents, many of whom are reluctant to leave. Those who are open to relocating have a condition: they want to move to Jabaquara, where a future housing complex might be constructed on land currently occupied by the company Transbrasa.

Vila dos Criadores, spanning 420,000 square meters next to the Casqueiro River on the Santos and Cubatão border, has been entangled in a legal dispute for 23 years.

State public defender Felipe Pires Pereira noted that while the land belongs to the Union, the City of Santos is responsible for monitoring, inspecting, and recovering zones of the environment degraded by housing initiatives. The Municipality was mandated to fulfill these obligations in a legal action that extended from 2001 to 2011. Due to a lack of concrete steps, the Court established a Judicial Committee in 2021 to enforce the relocation and recovery of Vila dos Criadores. Since then, no solution has been reached.

“APS has a proposal to relocate these residents to Jabaquara, but the community needs to be well-informed before making a decision,” said the public defender. Transbrasa is negotiating a transfer to another hinterland zone.

Carmelita Danúbia de Araújo, president of the Vila dos Criadores Residents’ Association, mentioned that some locals are willing to move to Jabaquara if it offers a good quality of life. However, others prefer to stay in Vila dos Criadores since they are not willing to live in apartments.

Approximately 1,000 families (945 homes) reside in Vila dos Criadores, many of whom have lived there for over 30 years. “We want guarantees,” emphasized Danúbia.

Polygon Expansion

The proposed expansion of the port’s operating area includes both land and sea perimeters. This includes the Vila dos Criadores region in the São Vicente Continental Area, the reincorporation of Ilha do Canéu on the Left Bank of Porto, a maritime area in front of the Tiplam terminal in Vicente de Carvalho (Guarujá), and the ship anchorage perimeter.

Undelimited Areas

Regarding the São Vicente Continental Area, APS president Anderson Pomini stated that the region meets all requisites in terms of availability of waterway and hinterland infrastructure. This area has a significant capacity for handling general cargo at the Port of Santos, which grows by an average of 7% to 8% annually.

“These areas, near Cubatão, have a vast, untapped potential for establishing waterway zones, which could alleviate traffic in our highways as we expand the railways,” he explained. However, the specific areas for the port have not yet been delimited in the city.

According to Pomini, the Continental Area of São Vicente and Vila dos Criadores in Alemoa, Santos, are strategic and address the Ministry of Ports and Airports (MPor)’s request to concentrate port expansion efforts.

The Port of Santos is South America’s largest. The chart below illustrates container exports and exports between January 2021 and April 2024.

Santos Port Container Exports & Imports | Jan 2021 – Apr 2024 | TEUs

Source: DataLiner (click here to request a demo)

Development

São Vicente Mayor Kayo Amado emphasized that the future of port development and the Santos region depends on the Continental Area of the Municipality. “This region is bisected by highways, railways, and rivers, and has a dense population, providing a labor supply. The Continental Area has available land to accommodate all these modes of transport, integrating the region.”

Source: A Tribuna

Click here to read the original news article: https://www.atribuna.com.br/noticias/portomar/ampliac-o-do-porto-de-santos-segue-indefinida-apos-audiencia-publica-1.422949

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