Bidding notice for deepening dredging at the Port of Santos to be launched this year

Port of Santos’ manager will sign an 18-month contract, taking responsibility for project development and removal of rocky material from the sea (Sílvio Luiz/AT)

The bidding notice for contracting the dredging works to deepen the Port of Santos' channel to 16 meters (currently ranging from 14 to 15 meters, depending on the location) will be launched in the second half of this year. Simultaneously, rock removal at 33 points along the access channel will begin. This is the first step before sediment dredging in the estuary can start.

“The rock removal process is currently undergoing document analysis, and the expectation is that the works can start at the beginning of the second half. Meanwhile, the channel deepening project to 16 meters is being processed at APS”, stated the Santos Port Authority (APS) in an official note.

When asked, the port administration did not disclose the name of the winning company for the rock removal contract nor the value of the awarded service. The selected company will sign an 18-month contract, taking responsibility for preparing the basic and executive project plans and removing an estimated 10,000 cubic meters of rocky material.

APS published the bidding notice for rock removal on October 7 last year, and the bidding companies submitted their proposals on October 29.

Survey A study received by APS initially identified 31 points at the entrance, in the middle (in front of the Giusfredo Santini Passenger Maritime Terminal, operated by Concais), and at the end of the estuary, near Barnabé Island, as well as access areas and berths. Currently, 33 points with rocky outcrops to be removed have been identified, according to the state-owned company.

Speaking to A Tribuna in October last year, APS President Anderson Pomini stated that the initiative addresses a long-standing need of coastal and long-haul shipping companies operating at the Port of Santos.

According to him, once the rocks are removed, a safe pathway to reach 16 meters in depth is established, and subsequently, 17 meters can be achieved. This, Pomini said, will provide lasting reassurance that the Port can receive the world’s largest ships at any time, day or night.

The methods and equipment to be used must be detailed in the basic and executive projects. The port complex manager emphasized that the advantage of performing rock removal before dredging is the prior possession of the environmental license.

Dredging The dredging project to deepen the channel to 16 meters is budgeted at R\$ 324.1 million and may be carried out through a sponsored concession under a public-private partnership (PPP) model.

Dredger HAM-316, with a hopper capacity of 10,000 cubic meters, is commonly used in Santos (Alexsander Ferraz/AT)

APS had estimated starting the works in October this year and completing them by June 2026, but this timeline may change since the bidding notice will be launched in mid-second semester.

Maintenance The Navigation Channel of the Port of Santos under the jurisdiction of the Santos Port Authority (APS) is 24.6 km long, 220 meters wide, and 15 meters deep, extending from the Barra to the Alemoa Pier, according to APS.

This area undergoes constant maintenance dredging to preserve its current depth. Each dredging cycle, lasting about two months, can remove over 900,000 cubic meters of sediment. “The Port is located in a natural estuary that receives a significant daily volume of sediments, which can lead to silting and reduce the depth of the navigation channel”, explains APS. At the end of last year, R\$ 15 million were spent on dredging.