Port sector to hold 20 auctions by 2024

The next tender in the sector is projected to occur until March 2024, involving four terminals in Recife (Pernambuco) and one in Vila do Conde (Pará), as indicated by Eduardo Nery, the general director of Brazil’s National Water Transportation Agency (ANTAQ).

The Vila do Conde terminal was initially set for tender on Wednesday alongside the other five terminals auctioned off. However, one company successfully contested the tender notice, citing the necessity for a public hearing—since it is a simplified process, the agency had not identified this need. However, ANTAQ accepted the request and has already announced the initiation of the consultation process, Mr. Nery confirmed.

Following this, a series of major projects is slated to commence in 2024. One such project is the long-term lease of the Port of Itajaí (Santa Catarina), encompassing the operation of the access channel and the container terminal for a 25-year period. “Tomorrow [Thursday] we will approve the public hearing for this process. The auction will take place in 2024,” he added.

Another significant project involves the access channel to Paranaguá, in the state of Paraná, requiring an investment of over R$1 billion. This project is expected to be presented to the public spending watchdog TCU soon. Additionally, two other terminals in the port, PAR14 and PAR15, are on the verge of being put out to tender. “It is in the final stages. The projects have already been submitted to the TCU and are expected to come out in the first half of the year.”

Moreover, there is the grain terminal in Itaguaí, in the state of Rio de Janeiro, with a planned investment of nearly R$3 billion. A public notice for this project is expected to be published in early 2024.

The auction on Wednesday concluded with all five terminals up for bid, representing an investment of R$964 million and fixed concession payments of R$2.6 million.

However, the level of competition was limited. Of the five assets, only one received more than one bid: the salt terminal in the port of Maceió, which attracted Intermarítima and Braskem. The former emerged victorious with a bid of R$1 million after an open outcry auction. Braskem, which had commissioned the project studies, concluded with a bid of R$700,000.

The contract is for five years, with the possibility of renewal, and a planned investment of R$7.2 million.

Despite Braskem’s defeat, the petrochemical company is expected to handle cargo at the terminal. Since 2020, the company has been importing bulk salt to replace the rock salt produced in its mines in Maceió, whose exploitation has been suspended due to the disaster caused by the activities of the petrochemical company in the region. According to the tender studies, the company will initially import mineral salt from Chile, with plans to later purchase sea salt produced in Rio Grande do Norte. The company estimates handling about 960,000 tonnes per year for five years.

Intermarítima already operates the Areia Branca salt terminal in Rio Grande do Norte (Tersab) and other terminals in Bahia. Braskem stated in a release that it and Intermarítima “have been partners for a long time, and we expect the relationship to continue.”

For the other terminals put out to tender, there was only one interested buyer. The grain terminal in Paranaguá, PAR09, the main asset in the auction, was awarded to Quadra Capital. The company offered R$615,000 for the 35-year contract, and the investment amounts to R$910 million.

AC Vita Serviços de Armazenagem won the auction for the terminal in the Port of Rio Grande, intended for the handling of solid bulk vegetables, especially rice. The company offered R$1 million for the asset. The contract, running for ten years with no possibility of renewal, requires an investment of R$26 million. This is a terminal already operated by AC Vita itself, which provided the service through a provisional contract.

Unifertil won the terminal POA11, in Porto Alegre, for the handling of bulk solids. The group offered R$50,000 for the facility. The contract, running for ten years with no possibility of renewal, involves investments of R$5 million.

The POA11 terminal already exists but is currently inactive. The existing warehouse in the area, formerly used for fertilizers, has collapsed due to a lack of maintenance and insufficient painting, according to the project studies. The new contract is expected to reactivate the structure.

Lastly, Serra Morena won the POA02 terminal in Porto Alegre, handling solid bulk goods, especially grains and fertilizers. The group offered R$2,000 for the asset. The contract, running for 10 years with no possibility of renewal, involves an investment of R$16 million. This is a terminal that Serra Morena also operated under a provisional contract.

Source: Valor Econômico 

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