Ports minister recalls port privatization clashes upon staggering fee hike in the Port of Vitoria

Márcio França, the Minister of Ports and Airports, expressed concern over the Port of Vitória’s staggering 1,000% fee increase less than a year after its privatization. França recalled his clashes with Tarcísio de Freitas, the current governor of São Paulo, during the 2022 elections over the risks associated with port privatization.

França, a member of the PSB party, initially ran for the position of governor of São Paulo in the 2022 elections. However, he withdrew his candidacy to support now Finance Minister Fernando Haddad and ended up running for a senate seat, which he ultimately lost. During the electoral campaign, França engaged in a debate with the then-candidate Tarcísio de Freitas, who is now the governor, regarding the potential hazards of privatizing the country’s ports.

Taking to social media, the minister commented on an article published by A Tribuna newspaper, drawing attention to the exorbitant increase in port tariffs in Vitória, the capital of Espírito Santo. França also highlighted that Tarcísio and many of his followers accused him of lying.

According to the newspaper article, the concession-holder Vports, responsible for managing the ports of Vitória and Barra do Riacho, adjusted the tariff to R$ 12,104.29 per vessel. This represents a staggering 996.9% increase compared to the previous fee of R$ 1,103.50 per vessel. The new tariff table came into effect on Thursday, May 1.

1st port privatization in the country

The privatization of Companhia Docas do Espírito Santo (Codesa), the entity responsible for managing the ports of Vitória and Barra do Riacho, took place in March 2022 during the Bolsonaro administration. Shelf 119 Multiestratégia, an investment fund owned by Quadra Capital, purchased the company for R$ 106 million and assumed the responsibility of port administration for the next 35 years.

This marked the first privatization of a dock company in the country. Dock companies are port authorities linked to the federal government that oversees the management of existing ports in each state.

Source: Revista Fórum

To read the original news article, see: https://revistaforum.com.br/politica/2023/6/4/com-reajuste-astronmico-de-tarifa-de-porto-privatizado-frana-resgata-embate-com-tarcisio-137131.html

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