Billionaire megaterminal at the Port of Santos may accommodate the world’s largest ships

The STS10 area is located at the Saboó pier, between Valongo Park and the Brazil Port Terminal (BTP) (Alexsander Ferraz/AT)

The proposal for the Santos Container Terminal (Tecon) 10, located at the STS10 area to be leased at the Saboó pier, next to Valongo Park at the Port of Santos, requires the winning company to build the necessary infrastructure to accommodate the world’s largest ships. These are Triple E class vessels, measuring 400 meters in length, 59 meters in width, and 73 meters in height, with a capacity to carry up to 18,000 TEU (Twenty-foot Equivalent Unit, a standard container measurement).

According to the draft contract, among the mandatory investments for the concessionaire is the construction of a berth compatible with these giant vessels, which have not yet docked at Santos. Currently, the port can accommodate New Panamax class ships (366 meters and 14,000 TEU), but not at full capacity due to insufficient structure and depth. At Tecon Santos 10, the pier extension must be sufficient for the simultaneous docking of three New Panamax ships and one Panamax class ship (294 meters and 5,000 TEU). The dredging depth must be 17 meters.

Additionally, according to documents released by the National Agency for Waterway Transportation (Antaq), the Tecon Santos 10 pier should have two berths of 823 meters by the fourth year of the contract, a third berth of 1.2 km by the sixth year, and a fourth berth of 1.5 km by the eighth year of the lease. The estimated investment in the terminal is R\$ 5.6 billion for a 25-year contract, which may be extended.

More infrastructure The lessee will also be required to invest in a container and general cargo yard, as well as circulation roads for 3.5 million TEU per year, by the end of the eighth year of the contract. Additionally, new yard areas (backyard) of at least 130,000 square meters (m²), drainage, paving, electrical network, lighting, and fire-fighting systems must be installed. The construction of rolling beams to accommodate transtainer cranes (for handling cargo) is also planned.

The company taking over the terminal will also need to build a traffic regulation yard of 87,800 m², located 50 km from the terminal, by the sixth year of the contract and invest in truck reception and dispatch areas by the eighth year. This area should include automated gates and a scheduling system to prevent traffic congestion in the external access roads to the port.

Railway branch The draft contract for Tecon Santos 10, published by the National Agency for Waterway Transportation (Antaq), also outlines the construction of a railway branch connecting to the port. This work can be substituted with an additional payment of R\$ 24.5 million to the Santos Port Authority (APS). The deadline to either construct the railway or make the payment is the eighth year of the lease.

Moreover, the lessee must install a water treatment system and an electrical substation with easy access for the Port Authority by the fourth year of the contract. The new infrastructure should meet the demand for public lighting along the stretch of Engineer Augusto Barata Avenue, known as Retão, in the Alemoa.

Virtual public hearing The National Agency for Waterway Transportation (Antaq) will hold a virtual public hearing on Tuesday (18) at 2:30 PM regarding the lease of the Santos Container Terminal (Tecon) 10, located in the STS10 area at the Port of Santos. The live broadcast will be available on the agency’s YouTube channel.

Considered a megaterminal, the facility is expected to increase container handling at the Port of Santos by 50%. The auction is scheduled to take place between October and December this year.

The bidding process will be in person, and the highest grant value will be the criterion for selecting the most advantageous proposal for leasing the 621,900 square meters (m²) area at the Saboó pier, on the right bank of the port complex. The contract includes mandatory investments and an annual handling of 3.5 million TEU (a standard container measurement).

“The project was recently restructured by the Ministry of Ports and Airports (MPor) and Antaq and is designed to be the largest terminal at the Port of Santos, consolidating its role as essential to meet the demand for container and general cargo handling and storage at the port complex”, stated MPor in a statement.

Adjustments Rodrigo Paiva, director of Graf Infra Consulting and MBA professor of Port Management at Fundação Getúlio Vargas (FGV), states that some adjustments to the proposed model are essential to ensure the desired capacity and quick turnaround for ships.

“A maneuvering study will be crucial to make the terminal’s implementation feasible, considering planned expansions from other players. Efficient yard turnover will also need to be ensured to achieve the projected capacity”, he adds.

Consultation The public consultation period remains open and will run until 11:59 PM on March 24, exclusively through the electronic form available on Antaq's website.

The legal drafts and technical documents for Tecon Santos 10 are available at the link bit.ly/3ReoYvx. Digital images, such as maps, plans, and photos, may be submitted by email at anexo_audiencia022025@antaq.gov.br, with contributor identification and within the stipulated deadline.

Cruise Terminal The future lessee of Tecon Santos 10 will also be required to pay an initial grant fee of R\$ 1.19 billion, which will subsidize the relocation of the Giusfredo Santini Passenger Terminal, managed by Concais, from Outeirinhos to Valongo. The tourist cruise facility will be installed next to STS10, on the water, in front of Valongo Park.

The Santos Port Authority (APS) resumed this water-based project in October, which was the original proposal presented in 2022, because the Federal Government decided to auction the entire STS10 area for containers, leaving no space on land for Concais.