Simpar’s terminal in BA is questioned

A port terminal won by the Simpar group at the end of 2020 is being questioned by Intermarítima, a company that ranked second in the auction and which now accuses the government of misrepresenting the object of the tender. The terminal in question was intended for the movement of grains, especially soy, at the Port of Aratu (BA). However, a year later, Simpar has already given signs of transporting fertilizers at the site. In the group’s view, means the auction was unfair – which the government denies.

Recently, Intermarítima filed a complaint with the TCU (federal audit court) asking that the authorization to move fertilizers be barred. The company claims that the necessary technical studies were not carried out and that the change would be arbitrary and would distort the bidding process. The argument is that it makes no sense for the group to change the terms of the contract, signed this year, even before starting the operation.

In addition, company representatives say that if there had already been an authorization for other cargoes in the notice, the competition scenario would have been different. During the bidding process, a group asked in the requests for clarification whether it would be possible to move other cargo besides grain, and this was denied.

The government says that for the time being there is only a positive sign of moving fertilizers on a temporary basis (for three years), in order to guarantee the continuity of the service. The Ministry of Infrastructure gave a preliminary authorization and ANTAQ (the national waterway transport agency) released the provisional operation – this, however, has not yet been made official.

Source: Valor Econômico

To read the full original article, visit the link:

https://valor.globo.com/empresas/noticia/2021/12/06/terminal-da-simpar-na-ba-e-alvo-de-questionamento.ghtml

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