Ports minister Márcio França braces for 2023 challenges in the sector

A new year has come, and now, all the eyes have turned to the composition of the new Lula administration. With the inauguration ceremony of president-elect Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva on Sunday, January 01, the previously-standing Ministry of Infrastructure was extinguished to give place to the Ministry of Ports and Airports, which will be under the command of Márcio França. According to industry experts, the new government will face many challenges in the ports sector of the economy in 2023.

The new minister was announced last week and took office on Monday, January 02. The name was well-received in the port sector. However, while companies expect a revision to labor regulatory legislation and management decentralization, workers fear the loss of rights.

Notwithstanding, for economist and foreign trade specialist Hélio Hallite, accelerating the construction of new road accesses, including a new exclusive highway leading to the Port of Santos and a dry connection between Santos and neighboring Guarujá, should be among the minister’s top priorities.

“In the next five years, we have the challenge of doing what we haven’t done in 40 years. While we have made progress in terms of rail expansion, only one lane in the Anchieta-Imigrantes road system is dedicated to cargo heading up to the port. That means that, out of 10 lanes, nine are for non-export users, and one is for those who need to access the port,” comments the university professor.

Engineer Marcos Vendramini has the same opinion. According to him, França will have to prepare and grant contracts for new port access along with the Sao Paulo state government. “I would include here a new highway between Parelheiros and Itanhaém, with use predominantly for passenger vehicles, as well as a new Anchieta-Imigrantes system that, once completed, will help accommodate the increased flow of cargo to the port. More important is the duplication of the Anchieta road section that leaks into Santos-São Vicente-Praia Grande. The Santos stretch continues with the same four lanes since the 70s.”

Bottlenecks aren’t exclusive to road transportation, according to Hallite. “In addition to the land bottleneck, for Hallite, there is also the waterway issue. “Since Santos is the major hub port in South America, we aim to expand opportunities for ships to dock. That’s not enough. It is necessary to have an export and import response based on the efficiency of our hinterland. We need to attract more cargo. That simple”.

Tunnel

Building the tunnel between Santos and Guaruja is another issue raised by Vendramini. In addition, the government should act fervently in maintaining the port’s access points “with the creation of new parking lots, roads, and circulation infrastructures (overpasses, etc.) to redistribute the flow effectively, reducing bottlenecks and congestion.”

Goals

According to specialists, one of the challenges the new Federal government will face in 2023 regarding ports is the need to expand cargo capacity in the Port of Santos. This has to be done with new leases and works in dredging.

See below a chart detailing containerized cargo exports and imports, in TEUs, at the Port of Santos from Jan 2019 to Nov 2022. The data is from DataLiner.

Containerized exports and imports – Port of Santos | Jan 2019 – Nov 2022 | TEUS

Source: DataLiner (click here to request a demo)

As for upcoming leasings, economist Hélio Hallite believes that the STS10 and STS53 solutions should be implemented quickly. The former will be a container terminal in Saboó, and the latter will concentrate on fertilizer operations in the Outeirinhos region.

“We hope to see both terminals leased in the first half of the year. However, the most important investments will be made to recover the Valongo-Paquetá, with the relocation of the Passenger Terminal and the revitalization of the historic center,” said the professor.

Engineer Marcos Vendramini, on the other hand, places high importance on “the dredging solution, preferably with a flow of payments and tariffs independent of the Port Authority, through concession contracts, so that the depths of the access channel and berths are always compatible with user demand.”

Vendramini also points out that there is a need to maintain and improve the operating conditions of cruise ships. “The idea is to enable the simultaneous daily operation of three or four ships with a capacity for 6,000 passengers each, respecting all their demands for road access and integration with the city.”

For José Roque, executive director of the union of maritime navigation agencies Sindamar, there are many challenges and priorities when it comes to ports, and because of that, the new minister should assemble a team of skilled professionals in 2023 to manage maritime complexes, particularly the Port of Santos.

“As far as we are concerned, port managers should not be appointed by politicians, but rather be competent professionals who have enough expertise on what a port is and what it entails to manage one, interacting with its users and with the city, and not forgetting to complete enhancement works to the waterway, railway, and road infrastructure,” highlighted the executive.

Roque also points out that the current Santos Port Authority (SPA) administration delivered infrastructure works and ended its term with profit. All this was only possible thanks to the technical profile of the managers, according to him.

“The priority must always be the satisfaction of port users who bring in ships and invest in new constructions with advanced technologies to the detriment of political interests.”

On the other hand, Vendramini emphasizes that the supervision and guarantee that all signed contracts will be complied with is an obligation that cannot be overlooked.

Source: A Tribuna

To read the full original article, please access: https://www.atribuna.com.br/noticias/portomar/novo-ano-comeca-com-desafios-no-porto-de-santos-marcio-franca-assume-ministerio

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