Auction projects in Santos and across Brazil presented by minister in China

Tecon Santos 10, at the Santos docks, is part of the auctions presented to investors (Alexsander Ferraz/AT)

The Minister of Ports and Airports, Silvio Costa Filho, presented on Monday (12) to Chinese businesspeople the portfolio of planned projects in Brazil’s port and waterway sectors through 2026. Accompanying President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT) on an official visit to China, the minister participated in the Brazil-China Business Forum in Beijing.

In his speech at the event, Costa Filho emphasized the strong commercial and diplomatic relations between the two countries and stated that the Federal Government’s goal is to complete 60 auctions from 2023 to 2026, securing around R\$ 30 billion in investments for Brazilian ports.

“Brazil today has a consolidated economy, with legal and institutional security to receive large investments. Under President Lula’s leadership, we are strongly focused on the Brazilian port sector”, the minister said during the panel called the Ministerial Session.

“This will be the highest number of auctions in history, with the largest investments”, the minister added. In addition to the Ministerial Session, the Forum featured three other panels: Investments and New Financing Opportunities; Energy Transition and Sustainability; and Food Security.

The minister mentioned the Port Lease Program (PAP), which aims to modernize Brazilian port infrastructure and promote regional development. “Agribusiness is a priority for us. And we want to present our business portfolio to the Chinese market”, said Costa Filho, noting that China was the main destination for Brazilian exports in 2024, accounting for 28% of the total, mainly involving products such as soybeans, beef, and sugar.

“Brazil has become a major international player and is now a key gateway of opportunities for investors. Our priority has therefore been to structure our ports to attract investment and strengthen the entire Brazilian productive sector”, he added, noting that the current geopolitical scenario may open opportunities for Brazil.

The minister also presented the Santos-Guarujá immersed tunnel project, whose auction is scheduled for August. With R\$ 6 billion in investments, the tunnel will be the largest transport infrastructure project under the new PAC. It will be the first of its kind in Latin America, with 870 meters of underwater extension.

Minister highlighted six major waterways for the next five years as of 2024 (Mpor/Disclosure)

Waterway sector in focus To the Chinese audience, the Minister of Ports and Airports, Silvio Costa Filho, emphasized that the ministry is developing an agenda for the waterway sector, planning six major waterways over the next five years. “It is the first time in history that there will be a dedicated agenda for the waterway sector, in alignment with railways and highways”, he added.

Costa Filho also spoke of potential partnerships in aviation, business tourism, and leisure tourism. He mentioned the fuel of the future, Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF), for which a memorandum of understanding was signed yesterday with the Civil Aviation University of China.

“Brazil could become one of the major SAF exporters in the coming years. This is an agenda that aligns the development of the Brazilian economy with our sustainability goals.”

The minister's agenda includes bilateral meetings with companies and government authorities in China.

Cargo Costa Filho detailed to the Chinese audience the cargo throughput in Brazilian ports, which reached 1.3 billion tons in 2024. He highlighted the expectation of a further 2% increase in 2025.

He also recalled that container throughput achieved the best result in history in February of this year, totaling 12.4 million tons — a 9.26% increase compared to the same month in 2024.