MPor absent from public hearing on Tecon Santos 10 in the Chamber

Representatives of the port sector call for speed in the Tecon Santos 10 process and complain about time lost in discussions over the modeling (Alexsander Ferraz/AT)

No member of the Ministry of Ports and Airports (MPor) attended the public hearing on the Container Terminal (Tecon) Santos 10, at the Port of Santos, held this Tuesday (28) by the Chamber of Deputies’ Transport and Roads Commission, in Brasília.

The absence was lamented by federal deputy Rosana Valle (PL), who requested the meeting together with deputy Hugo Leal (PSD-RJ). She stated that the Minister of Ports and Airports, Tomé Franca, had been invited.

“The matter is at a standstill, and it would be necessary for him to be here to provide further clarification and help us reach a conclusion. However, we have an invitation for the minister to participate in a meeting, and these issues will certainly be clarified”, said the deputy. The meeting will take place on May 20 and was scheduled by the same Commission.

The minister’s absence gained further significance because a new development occurred last week: the temporary suspension of the megaterminal bidding process. The official letter, issued on an urgent basis, was signed by the National Secretary of Ports, Alex Sandro de Ávila, and sent to the Director-General of the National Waterway Transport Agency (Antaq), Frederico Dias. The Agency was also asked to return the case files, a measure considered a standard administrative act.

According to the document, the reason is that “new guidelines and parameters” are under discussion within MPor and the Civil House, with the aim of “improving the modeling and enhancing service to the public interest in port services.” According to the secretary’s statement, the measure “will allow for the institutional reassessment of the adopted assumptions, in order to ensure the definition of the proposed arrangement and the proper alignment of the project parameters with the intended public objectives.”

No deadline

The return of the document by MPor to Antaq has no exact deadline, according to the Agency’s Special Secretary for Bidding and Concessions, Ygor Di Paula.

The Antaq representative defended the terms defined by the agency for the modeling of the Tecon Santos 10 auction, which still has no set date. The decision was to prohibit the participation of companies that already have assets in the Port in the first phase of the auction. The Federal Court of Accounts (TCU) went further than the Agency’s definition, including shipowners (vessel owners) in the restrictions.

“About one-third of the approximately 70 auctions that have been carried out contained some type of clause involving companies. This is nothing new introduced in the current administration”, recalled Di Paula. “This is more than just a specific clause. In fact, it reflects a well-established public policy in the sector, aimed at defending and promoting competition”, he added.

Waiting

“We are awaiting the Granting Authority, which is MPor and the Civil House, to define what changes will be made to the guidelines so that they can be analyzed again, but we hope that this project moves forward and brings benefits through greater competition, as competition leads to efficiency and lower prices for consumers, including the end user”, said the Special Secretary for Bidding and Concessions of Antaq.

Representatives of the port sector are calling for greater speed in the process and complain that too much time has already been lost discussing the modeling. The CEO of the Brazilian Infrastructure Institute (IBI), Mario Povia, is calling for freedom in the bidding process. “We expect a new procedural instruction that corrects the course and considers broader possibilities.”

The Antaq representative agrees on the importance and urgency of the project but again notes that there are competitive risks considered extremely relevant. “And they must be addressed by the entity with the authority to define the bidding notice and participation rules, which in this case is Antaq.”

The asset

Tecon Santos 10 will be the largest container terminal in South America. It will occupy 621,900 square meters (m²) at the Saboó quay (STS10). With capacity for 3.25 million TEU (a unit equivalent to a 20-foot container) per year, in addition to 91,000 tons of general cargo, it is expected to increase the container capacity of the port complex by 50%. The contract is planned for 25 years, with investments of R\$ 6.45 billion.