Ministers visit the Port of Santos amid expectations over terminal

The largest auction in history, Tecon Santos 10 will require a series of commitments for cargo handling at the Saboó quay, on the Right Bank (Alexsander Ferraz/AT)

Amid high expectations regarding the auction of the Container Terminal (Tecon) Santos 10, located at the Saboó quay (STS10), the Minister of Ports and Airports, Silvio Costa Filho, and the Minister of the Federal Court of Accounts (TCU), Bruno Dantas, will visit the Port of Santos this Thursday (21). They will be received by the President of the Santos Port Authority (APS), Anderson Pomini, at 11:30 AM at the Navy quay, at the Port Authority of São Paulo (CPSP), in the Macuco.

Following a press conference, the officials will navigate the Santos estuary channel. APS, which released the agenda, does not explicitly mention Tecon Santos 10 as the focus of the visit. However, the presence of a TCU minister alongside a Federal Government minister is symbolic. This is because the auction notice for the largest terminal in the Southern Hemisphere is currently under review by the Federal Court of Accounts, awaiting approval — which is expected this month— potentially allowing the auction to take place later in 2025.

The TCU must decide on the auction's structuring, especially regarding a controversial restrictive rule imposed by the National Waterway Transport Agency (Antaq). The agency barred companies already operating container terminals at the port from participating, effectively excluding industry giants such as Maersk, MSC, and CMA CGM. These companies would only be eligible to participate in a subsequent phase if no bidders come forward in the initial one — an extremely unlikely scenario.

Tecon Santos 10 will cover 621,900 square meters (m²), with an annual capacity of 3.25 million TEUs (twenty-foot equivalent units), in addition to 91,000 tons of general cargo. The investment is valued at R\$ 6.45 billion.

Schedule According to APS, during the 30-minute navigation along the port channel, the ministers will pass by the route of the Santos-Guarujá immersed tunnel. The auction for the tunnel project is scheduled for September 5 at 4:00 PM at the São Paulo Stock Exchange (B3). This will be an international tender under a sponsored concession model via a public-private partnership (PPP). Investments will total R\$ 6.8 billion for the 1.5-kilometer structure, of which 870 meters will be submerged.

The removal of families living in stilt houses in the port area of Guarujá will allow the tunnel's implementation and port expansion (Vanessa Rodrigues/AT)

Costa Filho and Dantas will also visit sites for the rock removal works, essential for deepening the channel to 16 meters, among other inspections. APS and DTA Engenharia signed the contract for the rock removal project last week.

Rock removal is essential for deepening the waterway. A study received by the port authority identified 31 rocky spots at the entrance, in the middle (in front of the Giusfredo Santini Maritime Passenger Terminal, managed by Concais), and at the end of the estuary near Barnabé Island, as well as at access areas and berths.

Bruno Dantas (left) is a TCU minister. Costa Filho (right) makes yet another visit (Vanessa Rodrigues/AT and Alexsander Ferraz/AT)

Housing In the afternoon, at 3:00 PM, the ministers will visit the Parque da Montanha housing complex in Vila Edna, Guarujá, alongside Mayor Farid Madi. There, 73 families previously living in stilt houses on the Left Bank of the Port of Santos will receive the keys to their new homes.

The city administration reports that these units are part of Phase 2 of the Parque da Montanha development. Over the next 15 days, another 30 units will be delivered, out of a total of 649 homes.

This initiative is part of the “Favela Porto Cidade” Program, aimed at families living in the Prainha area. “This will enable the clearing of the Left Bank of the Port of Santos, in Guarujá, and its use for port expansion purposes”, explains the Municipal Administration.