Opinions split as industry addresses contentious new container terminal in Santos Port

Despite ongoing controversy and dispute of narratives surrounding the STS10 terminal—an area at the Port of Santos that will be designated for container operations—industry lobby groups consulted by A Tribuna are on board the stance taken by Anderson Pomini, President of the Santos Port Authority (APS). On August 1st, during a press conference, Pomini stated that the STS10 terminal would not be viable before the construction of two viaducts in Alemoa, scheduled for 2028.

Murillo Barbosa, President of the Association of Private Port Terminals (ATP), views this as a prudent and coherent decision. “Road access is indeed one of the significant bottlenecks for the Port of Santos. A container terminal would only increase the demand for trucks accessing the port. Another important aspect of unlocking operations with larger box ships relates to deepening the channel’s draft to 16 meters,” Barbosa argues.

Pomini himself noted that if the STS10 terminal was currently operational as originally planned, the Alemoa region would be completely gridlocked.

“Before we expand and consider new terminals, we need to ensure that adequate access routes are in place,” Pomini emphasized during the interview.

Jesualdo Silva, CEO of the Brazilian Association of Port Terminals (ABTP), agrees with APS, rendering the decision “appropriate.” “We understand that the port needs to grow alongside transportation modes employed across the industry as we want to avoid bottlenecks and conflicts in the port-city relationship.”

The chart below uses DataLiner data to compare long-haul container imports and exports at the Port of Santos between January 2021 and June 2024.

Santos Container Movement | Jan 2021 – Jun 2024 | TEU

Source: DataLiner (click here to request a demo)

Further arguments

João Maria Menano, President of the Association of Companies in the Alemoa Industrial Port District (AMA), concurs with APS’s logistical and technical reasoning but points out that previous municipal, state and Port Authority administrations had already been warned about these issues.

Menano expressed frustration, stating, “It’s frustrating that two footbridges are being constructed between the marginal lanes of the Anchieta Highway, from the Alemoa viaduct to the Casqueiro River, without putting in place two additional branches of little over 20 meters to help employees in the Alemoa industrial district get to their destination easily. These extensions would also serve as emergency routes for cyclists and workers who, thankfully, are increasingly crossing the now more active railroad tracks.”

Menano also notes that disagreements over the delegation of responsibilities are creating further disruptions. “Now that Ecovias is constructing the viaduct from Saboó to the Anchieta Highway, the ineffective rhetoric wielded by political entities saying that one thing is the Union’s obligation, another is the State’s, and something else is the Municipality’s, falls apart. This doesn’t convince anyone and proves ineffective in practice. Can a disagreement between political entities create bottlenecks at the Port of Santos, with no one held accountable for choosing the wrong location for the two viaducts in the Northwest Zone?” he adds.

The AMA President also emphasized the need to grant container terminals the expansions they request and need, “but let’s bid out the Saboó terminal so we don’t lose cargo to other ports and so that people can work with different types of cargo.”

Soon, he says, there will also be capacity issues with project cargo and import/export vehicles, leading to even greater challenges similar to those seen in fertilizer, dry bulk, and liquid bulk berths. “If Saboó is bid out for cargo and containers, it will require two or three years of preparation to reinforce the quay,” Menano believes.

While strongly supporting the transfer of the passenger terminal to downtown Santos, the businessman insists that losing crucial square meters for cargo logistics is unacceptable. “The passenger terminal should be in the center but closer to warehouses 1, 2, and 3, without taking away cargo space at Saboó,” he adds.

The National Center for Transatlantic Navigation (Centronave), representing shipping companies, chose not to comment on the issue at this time.

Port’s Major Container Terminals Weigh In

A Tribuna reached out to the two major container terminals at the Port of Santos. According to Antonio Carlos Sepúlveda, CEO of Santos Brasil, new projects should be developed without negatively impacting the port’s efficiency or the smooth operation of port cities.

“Port authorities must ensure that maritime, road, and rail access capacities are in balance with terminal capacities. Effective management of these capacities boosts the port’s competitiveness and minimizes the environmental impact of port operations, especially in terms of greenhouse gas emissions,” Sepúlveda commented.

Meanwhile, Brasil Terminal Portuário (BTP) stated that infrastructure modernization must go hand in hand with expanding capacity in new areas. This involves not only building additional viaducts in Alemoa but also developing new access roads, dredging the navigation channel, and enhancing rail and coastal shipping transportation.

“There is an urgent and imperative need to expand container throughput capacity at the Port of Santos. Indeed, all these investments must be in synergy, as only concurrent action can contribute to infrastructure development and the ehance country’s share in foreign trade,” BTP asserts.

Although APS denies any imminent capacity exhaustion at the Port of Santos, BTP warns that the port complex will face a collapse by 2026 if nothing is decided and implemented now, noting that this projection already accounts for the contracted expansions of terminals within the Santos complex.

“A new terminal like STS10 will take at least four years to become fully operational. For this reason, works to expand the road network can occur simultaneously—they do not impact the execution of the plan to increase container throughput capacity in Santos. Additionally, even with STS10 increasing container throughput, it would primarily focus on transshipment volumes, which would not impact road infrastructure,” BTP argues.

Source: A Tribuna

Click here to access the original news text: https://www.atribuna.com.br/noticias/portomar/entidades-apoiam-autoridade-portuaria-sobre-esperar-para-ativar-o-terminal-sts10-no-porto-de-santos-1.429973

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