Container terminal to boost Port of Santos capacity to be auctioned by november, says minister

With an estimated investment of R\$ 4.5 billion, the project aims to expand the current container handling capacity in Santos (Sérgio Furtado/Aerial Images/SPA Release)

The Minister of Ports and Airports, Silvio Costa Filho, announced that the auction for STS10, the future container terminal at the Port of Santos (SP), will take place between October and November this year. Speaking to journalists on Thursday morning (16), the minister stated that the project is expected to be submitted for evaluation by the Federal Court of Accounts (TCU) in the coming months.

With an estimated investment of R\$ 4.5 billion, the project aims to expand the current container handling capacity in Santos, which already hosts terminals operated by Santos Brasil, BTP, DPW, and Ecoporto.

The government-approved model includes the construction of four berths, enabling a 50% increase in container capacity.

Currently, the Port of Santos handles 6 million containers annually. With the addition of the new terminal, this capacity will rise to 9 million containers per year.

Investments During his presentation to journalists on Thursday, Costa Filho highlighted the results of his tenure at MPor, a role he has held since August 2023, detailing investments made and projections for this year and the next.

In 2024, the National Ports Secretariat conducted eight auctions, attracting investments totaling R\$ 3.74 billion. These included areas such as MAC16 at the Port of Maceió (AL), MCP03 at the Port of Santana (AP), ITG02 in Itaguaí (RJ), REC08, 09, and 10 in Recife (PE), RDJ06 in Rio de Janeiro (RJ), and RIG10 at the Port of Rio Grande (RS).

For the last two years of the current administration’s term, MPor plans an additional 37 auctions of port areas. Private sector investments in the port sector are expected to reach R\$ 18 billion this year, compared to R\$ 10.6 billion in 2024.