Port of Itajaí: when do operations resume now that a lessee was chosen?

On Wednesday (22), the National Waterway Transportation Agency (ANTAQ) designated Mada Araújo Asset Management as the winner of the temporary lease auction for the Port of Itajaí. However, the commencement of operations is still uncertain and depends on other processes.

The competitors, MMS Empreendimentos, Teconnave, and Livramento Holding, can still file a review case with the Federal Court of Accounts (TCU). Unlike the appeals phase of ANTAQ, there is no defined deadline. Meanwhile, the contract needs to be negotiated and signed.

According to the port’s advisory, the agreement might only be finalized at the end of December. Before that, there is the process of environmental, state, and federal customs clearance. In summary, there is no set date for when container operations at the currently halted complex will resume.

The chart below compares container exports and imports at the Port of Itajaí from January 2019 and December 2022, the period in which container operations began to dwindle at the port. The data is from DataLiner.

Container exports and imports | Port of Itajaí | Jan 2019 – Dec 2022 | TEU

Source: DataLiner (click here to request a demo)

Mada Araújo proposed to handle 44,600 TEUs per month and was the second-largest offer in the bidding, trailing only MMS Empreendimentos, which was eliminated. It was accepted after the company appealed its disqualification—back then, the deal was deemed unfeasible.

Teconnave, a member of the TiL (Terminal Investment Limited) group, was the first to have its proposal for 35,000 TEUs per month, qualified, and was considered the potential lease winner until the turn of events this Wednesday.

Both MMS Empreendimentos and Livramento Holdings had their appeals denied by ANTAQ and are unlikely to have their values reconsidered by the entity.

The temporary lease contract stipulates that the winning company will operate in the complex for 24 months (two years). The definitive lease will be for 35 years, and its tender is expected to be launched by the Federal Government during the temporary contract.

Source: Jornal Floripa

Click here to read the original text: https://jornalfloripa.com.br/emcimadahora/materia/94264

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