Brazil to offer Itajaí port terminal concession

Brazil’s waterway regulator Antaq will auction a concession to operate the Itajaí port terminal, in Santa Catarina state, on September 13 at its headquarters.

"The simplified selection process was requested by the ports and airports ministry and the objective is to enter into a transitory lease agreement for handling containerized cargo and general cargo in the port area of Santa Catarina," Antaq said in a statement.

"The contract provides that the lessee will operate the port for two years, a period that may be extended under conditions specified in the public notice of the selection process, at the discretion of the granting authority," it added.

A long-term strategy will be designed during the concession term.

Maersk's APM Terminals' lease contract expired at the end of last year, leaving the port virtually paralyzed.

The previous Jair Bolsonaro administration favored privatizing port operations, including at Itajaí, but after President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva assumed office in January, various plans were reviewed.