Interest grows in temporary operation contract for Itajaí Port

Three companies interested in the temporary operation contract of Itajaí Port have recently visited the terminal. The interest in the bid, launched by the National Waterway Transportation Agency (Antaq), increases the expectation for the resumption of operations. Since December 31, when the leasing period ended, Itajaí has not received regular container ship calls.

Among the interested parties is a domestic company and two subsidiaries of multinational corporations – one Swiss and one British – with business operations in Brazil. All three companies have been active in the national port sector for decades.

Representatives from these companies have visited the facilities and evaluated the working conditions in Itajaí. One of them is expected to return later this week for further evaluation.

Fábio da Veiga, the Superintendent of Itajaí Port, states that the outlook is positive because two contentious issues questioned in the first temporary concession bid – which had no interested parties – have been addressed. One of these is the duration of the contract, which was initially set at six months and has been extended to two years. The other is the concession grant.

The APM Terminals, the former operator of Itajaí Port, used to pay a monthly fee of R$ 4 million to the Port’s Superintendence. With the regular leasing term ending, this fee was reduced to R$ 2.3 million. Now, the auction guidelines don’t specify a fixed price but rather a variable fee based on container movement. The city of Itajaí is considering injecting funds into the port.

The bid opening is scheduled for September 13.

Sharing is caring!