MSC’s Portonave boosts investment plan by R$440m in Santa Catarina

Portonave, the private terminal operated by Terminal Investment Limited (TIL) in Navegantes, Santa Catarina, has announced a new investment of R$439 million aimed at expanding its operational capacity. The funds will be used to purchase equipment that will increase the terminal’s throughput from 1.5 million twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) to 2 million TEUs by 2026.

This latest round of funding adds to the R$1 billion investment plan launched last year. Controlled by MSC, one of the world’s largest shipping companies, Portonave has been upgrading its dock infrastructure to accommodate the industry’s largest vessels—up to 400 meters in length.

According to Portonave’s chief administrative officer, Osmari Castilho, the first phase of the infrastructure upgrade is expected to be completed by July, marking the start of reinforcement work on the remaining half of the terminal. Full completion is slated for mid-2026.

By then, the terminal also expects to receive newly acquired handling equipment, including two ship-to-shore (STS) cranes capable of loading and unloading cargo from ultra-large container vessels. These will join the four STS cranes already in operation.

Additionally, Portonave has purchased 14 rubber-tyred gantry (RTG) cranes to support yard operations. The new units will supplement the 18 RTGs currently in use, boosting the terminal’s overall dynamic capacity.

During 2024, amid heavy congestion at container terminals nationwide, Portonave reached peak occupancy levels of around 90%. Although volumes have since stabilized, the terminal’s current average occupancy remains around 70%.

Beyond increasing capacity, the investment plan is also designed to prepare the terminal for larger vessels, which promise greater efficiency in logistics operations. However, deploying these ships depends on a separate public-sector initiative: dredging the access channel to the Port of Itajaí. The federal government plans to offer the channel as a concession, which would include deepening the draft, though no timeline has been set for the project.

“Ideally, the concession schedule should move in tandem with the terminal’s construction so we can begin operating larger vessels,” said Mr. Castilho. “We hope the process moves quickly and are closely monitoring it. [The dredging] will need to happen eventually, but there’s a chance we’ll be ready before the channel is.”

The company is also keeping an eye on potential impacts of Brazil’s tax reform on cargo movement in Santa Catarina, a state that has traditionally attracted freight through tax incentives. Even so, Mr. Castilho does not anticipate a significant drop in port activity. He believes continued infrastructure investment will keep the region competitive. “Another advantage is the strength of Santa Catarina’s industrial base,” he added.

Source: Valor International

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