São Sebastião port to complement Santos container demand with R$2.5 billion terminal, says director

The Port of São Sebastião, on the northern coast of São Paulo State, will begin handling containers with the auction of the future multipurpose terminal SSB01. With an investment of R$2.5 billion, the asset is expected to be auctioned off by the end of the year and is anticipated to boost business in the state’s second port complex. In addition, the region is preparing to receive a series of access infrastructure works that will increase the port’s logistics efficiency. The federal government delegates the port to the state, which is managed by the State Secretariat of Environment, Infrastructure, and Logistics (SEMIL). The investment plan was presented by Ernesto Sampaio, CEO of Companhia Docas de São Sebastião, in an interview.

The Minister of Ports and Airports, Silvio Costa Filho, said that the federal government intends to auction SSB01 this year. At full capacity, the terminal will handle 1.35 million TEU and 3.45 million tonnes of solid bulk cargo annually. What are your expectations?

There are plans for two berths (for ships) and container handling, which is unprecedented at the Port of São Sebastião. The project for a multipurpose terminal (capable of handling containers and general cargo) complements the container handling demand of the Port of Santos.

Will the auction take place this year?

Both the Ministry (of Ports and Airports) and Governor Tarcísio de Freitas (Republicanos) are very interested in ensuring that this leasing process is carried out as quickly as possible. Now, it depends on how long the Federal Court of Accounts (TCU) takes to analyze the process, which is much simpler than that of Tecon Santos 10 (located at the Saboó quay in the Port of Santos). There is no complexity here.

The governor argues that the Tecon Santos 10 auction should allow broad competition, as having a global carrier operate the mega terminal would enable integrated logistics between the two São Paulo ports. Santos would receive long-haul ships, and São Sebastião would serve as a feeder for coastal shipping distribution. Wouldn’t SSB01 compete with Tecon 10?

The idea is for them to complement each other. The two projects, Tecon Santos 10 and SSB01, are not competitors. There is a very high demand for container handling, so the concept of complementarity mentioned by the governor makes perfect sense. Santos would receive the long-haul ships and transfer containers by land, allowing us to carry out coastal shipping here. It is a valid concept and makes perfect sense in other countries. This would not limit Santos to long-haul nor São Sebastião to cabotage.

Will the port have a new land access route in 2026?

The State Government and the Tamoios highway concessionaire have signed an amendment to build a new access road to the Port of São Sebastião and an exit viaduct to improve truck access. So, the future SSB01 lessee will already have the land access issue resolved. This project, which is already underway, will last only nine months. The investment exceeds R$55 million, a fully private transaction.

Will the new access road and exit viaduct ensure smoother traffic for trucks?

The new access road will further improve truck traffic without affecting vehicle traffic in the city center or those heading to Itabira. The viaduct will depart directly from the port and connect directly to the viaducts leading to the Tamoios highway tunnels. In other words, trucks entering and leaving the port will not affect city traffic or access to Ilhabela. It is the port-city relationship at its best: port development that does not impact ordinary citizens.

How many trucks does the Port of São Sebastião currently receive per day?

Around 100 trucks per day.

Check below a history of long-haul cargo throughput in tonnes at the Port of São Sebastião starting from January 2022. The chart was prepared with DataLiner data:

Long-haul Cargo Throughput at the Port of São Sebastião | Jan 2022 to Jun 2025 | WTMT

Source: DataLiner (Click here to request a demo)

How many trucks will the port receive with SSB01?

Indeed, the new terminal will multiply that number by five, because it will triple the volume of solid bulk we handle today, in addition to container handling of 1.35 million TEU per year — approximately half of Tecon Santos 10’s projected operations.

Can the waterway channel reach 42 meters deep at some points, meaning the Port of São Sebastião could receive the world’s largest ships?

The Port of São Sebastião is ahead of several Brazilian ports, with waterway access requiring no maintenance dredging and fully resolved land access. Our most significant advantage is that the waterway channel reaches depths of up to 42 meters in some areas.

But the port is currently performing maintenance dredging.

We are carrying out maintenance dredging at berth 101 (the main one) because it is very close to the land area. The intervention will remove 57,000 cubic meters of accumulated sediment from the maneuvering basin and the berth, restoring the minimum operational depth to 10 meters. The work is expected to be completed within 45 days.

Source: A Tribuna

Source: A Tribuna

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