Entities support Port Authority's decision to delay activation of STS10 terminal at the Port of Santos

For APS, if STS10 were currently operational as designed, the Alemoa area would be completely congested today (Disclosure/ APS)

Despite the controversy and disputes surrounding STS10, the area designated for containers that was originally planned for the Saboó dock at the Port of Santos, sector entities consulted by A Tribuna understood the position of the president of the Port Authority of Santos (APS), Anderson Pomini, on the matter. On August 1st, in a press conference, he stated that STS10 will not be implemented before the construction of two viaducts in Alemoa, which are scheduled for 2028.

Murillo Barbosa, President of the Association of Private Port Terminals (ATP), considers it a sound and coherent decision by APS. “Indeed, road access is one of the major bottlenecks for the Port of Santos. A container terminal will only increase the demand for trucks at the port. It is worth highlighting another critical infrastructure project, which is the deepening of the channel to 16 meters, so that this new terminal can handle the largest container ships currently in operation”, he argues.

Pomini himself mentioned that if STS10 were operational as originally designed, the city would be completely stalled in the Alemoa area. “Before we expand and consider new terminals, we need to have adequate access routes”, he emphasized during the interview.

Jesualdo Silva, President of the Brazilian Association of Port Terminals (ABTP), also deems APS’s position “appropriate.” “We understand that the port needs to grow in harmony with the modalities that will be used for the flow of products to avoid bottlenecks and conflicts in the port-city relationship”.

Other arguments

João Maria Menano, President of the Association of Companies in the Industrial and Port District of Alemoa (AMA), acknowledges APS’s correct logistical and technical perspective but emphasizes that municipal, state, and previous Port Authority administrations were warned about this issue.

“It is also frustrating that two pedestrian bridges are being constructed between the Anchieta highways, between the Alemoa viaduct and the Rio Casqueiro, without two arms of just over 20 meters connecting the employees of the Alemoa industrial district. Even as an escape route for cyclists and service providers who cross the railway line – increasingly operational – over the tracks”, he argues.

Menano also points out that disagreements over project responsibilities are hindering progress. “With Ecovias now handling the viaduct from Saboó to Anchieta, the inefficient discourse of political entities claiming this is the Union’s obligation, that is the State’s, and another is the Municipality’s falls apart. This does not convince and does not prove practical. Can a disagreement between political entities create bottlenecks at the Port of Santos with no one being held accountable for prioritizing the wrong location for the two viaducts in the Northwest Zone?”, he adds.

The AMA President also emphasized the need to expand container terminals as requested and required, “but that the Saboó area be licensed to avoid losing cargo to other ports and to allow people to work with different types of cargo”.

Soon, he says, there will also be a lack of capacity for project cargo and import/export vehicles, with even greater difficulties than today with fertilizer, bulk solids, and liquid bulk. “The Saboó area, if licensed for cargo and containers, will require two or three years of construction for quay reinforcement”, believes Menano.

Despite strongly supporting the relocation of the passenger terminal to the Center of Santos, the businessman finds it unacceptable to lose important square meters for cargo logistics. “The passenger terminal must remain in the Center, but closer to warehouses 1, 2, and 3, and not take up areas already used for cargo at Saboó”, he adds.

The National Center for Transatlantic Navigation (Centronave), which represents shipowners, chose not to comment on the matter at this time.

Major container terminals at the Port take a stand

A Tribuna contacted the two main container terminals at the port. At Santos Brasil, President Antonio Carlos Sepúlveda states that new projects should be developed without negatively impacting the efficiency of the port and the smooth operation of port municipalities.

“Port authorities must ensure that the capacity of maritime, road, and rail access is aligned with terminal capacities. Proper management of these capacities enhances port competitiveness and reduces the environmental impact of port operations, particularly greenhouse gas emissions”, he comments.

Brazil Terminal Portuário (BTP), in a statement, believes that port infrastructure modernization must occur simultaneously with capacity expansion in new areas, not just with civil works for additional viaducts in Alemoa, but also with new access roads, channel dredging, and increased railway and cabotage transport.

“It is urgent and imperative to act to increase container handling capacity at the Port of Santos. Indeed, all these investments must be synergistic and implemented simultaneously, as only treated concurrently can they contribute to infrastructure development and the country’s representation in international trade”, it states.

Although APS denies a capacity exhaustion for cargo handling at the Port of Santos, BTP asserts that the Santos port complex will face a collapse by 2026 if no decisions are made and actions are taken now, noting that this assertion already considers the contracted expansions of the Santos terminals.

“A new terminal like STS10 will take at least four years to be fully operational. For this reason, civil works to expand the road network can proceed simultaneously – they do not impact the execution of the plan in terms of increasing container handling capacity in Santos. Additionally, even with STS10 increasing container handling capacity, it would handle significant volumes of transshipment cargo, which would not affect the road infrastructure”, it argues.