Rival weighs antitrust challenge to Maersk-MSC deal tied to STS 10 auction

A competing company is considering challenging in court a deal between Maersk and MSC involving Brasil Terminal Portuário (BTP) and Santo’s new STS 10 terminal before Brazil’s antitrust regulator, Cade, according to a report by Veja magazine.

Under the arrangement submitted to Cade, the carrier that wins the auction for STS 10 would sell its 50% stake in BTP to the other.

BTP is currently one of the main container terminals at the Port of Santos. According to DataLiner data, 440,825 TEUs moved through the terminal in import and export flows in the first five months of the year. The chart below shows the share of other terminals in Santos’ container trade (long-haul operations only):

Main Container Terminals | Port of Santos | Jan-May 2026 | TEUs

Source: DataLiner (click here to request a demo)

Should Maersk win the concession for the new container terminal, MSC would acquire Maersk’s stake in BTP and take full control of the existing facility. Should MSC win, Maersk would acquire its partner’s stake and become BTP’s sole owner.

The proposed transaction is conditional on the outcome of the Santos 10 tender.

According to Veja, rival bidders view the arrangement as a form of insurance for the two shipping groups because, regardless of which one wins the auction, each would retain control of a major container terminal at the Port of Santos.

One company is considering applying to join the Cade proceedings as an interested third party so it can formally contest the transaction.

The potential challenge comes amid continuing debate over the structure of the Santos 10 auction.

The Brazilian government is considering allowing companies that already operate container terminals at Santos to bid, provided they commit to selling their existing terminal interests if they win the new concession.

Source: Transporte Moderno

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