Brazil plans 13 port tenders by year-end

The Brazilian government is planning to conclude 13 tenders for port terminals this year. 

The tenders are for terminals at the ports of Paranaguá, Santos, Vila do Conde, Itaqui, Aratu, Itaguaí, Porto Alegre and Maceió, according to Bruno Pinheiro, superintendent at waterways regulator Antaq. 

The most advanced projects to be offered are at Santos, South America’s busiest port, for which Antaq will hold an auction for two wood pulp terminals on August 28, the agency said in a statement.

The auction will take place on the São Paulo stock exchange and projected investment for the two areas is 381mn reais (US$74mn). 

In January 2021, the plan is to hold tenders for two areas at Itaqui (liquid fuels), one at Maceió (bulk liquids, sulfuric acid) and one at Macapá (soybeans). Total investment in the four areas is put at 295mn reais.

NEW REGULATIONS 

The government is optimistic about attracting private investors to ports as the segment has proved resilient during the COVID-19 crisis. 

“All the [just approved] changes in the law are essential in order to guarantee the competitiveness of terminals in state-run ports for private use, making new investments attractive. In addition, the new standards bring Brazil closer to the most efficient models practiced in major world ports,” infrastructure minister Tarcísio Gomes de Freitas said in a separate statement. 

The main changes in the ports' law approved by congress this week involve the management of leasing contracts, which will be more flexible and efficient. The law provides for more autonomy for lessees, facilitating investments.