Construction of cargo complex in Santos expected to begin in 2030

The project envisions a port-rail complex to be installed in the Continental Area of Santos (Reproduction)

The construction of the Port Logistics Terminal (TPL) at the Port of Santos is scheduled to start in 2030 and will take three years to complete. The first public presentation of the private use terminal (TUP) by Triunfo Participações e Investimentos was held on Tuesday night (18) in Guarujá.

According to the company, the request for environmental licenses related to the port-rail complex, to be installed in the Continental Area of Santos, will be submitted by May. According to Triunfo, the work will only begin after the company obtains all the required licenses. The preliminary license is expected to be issued in 2026, and the installation license three years later, in 2029.

“These are estimated timelines as the licensing process with the Brazilian Institute of Environment and Renewable Natural Resources (Ibama) usually goes, but we will only know for sure once the preliminary license is issued within the correct timeframe. That’s our goal”, said Laila Menechino, project coordinator at the environmental consultancy company Master Ambiental, responsible for the presentation.

The project is currently in the process of preparing the Environmental Impact Study and Report (EIA-Rima). "Since we are in the preliminary licensing phase, the EIA-Rima will be submitted, and Ibama will have six months to evaluate it. They can request additional information, adjustments, and consult other agencies until the preliminary license is issued. Once the preliminary license is granted, a new study for the executive projects begins, followed by the installation license", explained Laila.

The water infrastructure will include five docking berths (Reproduction)

Infrastructure and jobs The TPL by Triunfo Participações e Investimentos will have the capacity to handle a total volume of 20 million tons per year.

The water infrastructure (offshore) will have five docking berths: two for liquid fuel bulk, one for vegetable solid bulk, one for cellulose, and one for mineral solid bulk.

The onshore infrastructure will include 18 tanks for liquid bulk, two warehouses for fertilizers, one for cellulose, and ten concrete silos for agricultural bulk.

Triunfo estimates the involvement of approximately 3,000 workers during the peak of construction, with more than 1,500 direct jobs created with the terminal's operation.

At the Procópio Ferreira Theatre, participants expressed concerns about environmental issues (Sílvio Luiz/AT)

First presentation in Guarujá The first public meeting about the Port Logistics Terminal (TPL), held on Tuesday night (18) in Guarujá, did not fill the Procópio Ferreira Theatre, but raised concerns regarding the local marine ecosystem, between the Barnabé and Bagres Islands. These concerns were highlighted in a video made and presented by fishermen, who consider themselves economically affected by the project.

“When a terminal like this is built, it’s no longer possible to access, fish nearby, or pass close to it. In the past, we said we weren’t against progress. But now, we are against this progress, against this terminal”, said one of the attendees, who identified himself as Eduardo.

For the terminal's implementation, Triunfo reported that there will be vegetation clearance of approximately 59 hectares (590,000 square meters) and dredging of the seabed, corresponding to about 11 million cubic meters (m³).

According to the company, there will be several local programs to be carried out, including: monitoring of fauna and flora, pollution control, water quality, and compensation for fishing and environmental activities.

Another meeting will be held in Santos, but the date and location are still to be determined. Feedback from residents of both cities is being collected as they are located in the surrounding area of the project.

“A report will be made and will be part of a broader study, consolidating the main feedback to guide both the environmental impact studies and Ibama’s evaluation, already considering the community’s perception”, explained Laila Menechino, who presented the project.