Port Authority of Santos says port operates at full capacity and denies 'exhaustion'

The complex can handle 5.9 million containers today, with expectations to reach 6.1 million by the end of the year, says the Port manager (Vanessa Rodrigues/ AT)

The Port Authority of Santos (APS) stated that the Port of Santos has not exhausted its container handling capacity, which is estimated at 5.9 million. The port administration further estimates that the capacity will increase to 6.1 million by the end of this year — responding to comments regarding uncertainty in the STS10 terminal area.

"In 2022, the Port of Santos handled a record volume of around 5 million TEUs (Twenty-foot Equivalent Units), whereas in 2023, the handling was 4.8 million TEUs. Currently, the complex's capacity is estimated at 5.9 million, indicating that the Port has not reached its capacity limit. The expectation is that the complex's capacity will reach 6.1 million TEUs by the end of 2024", APS said in a statement.

The Port manager stated that the Port Development and Zoning Plan (PDZ) of the Port reflects estimates made in 2020, when the capacity for container handling was estimated at around 5.3 million TEUs/year, considering the four terminal operators: Santos Brasil (2 million TEUs), BTP (1.8 million TEUs), TUP DP World Santos (1.2 million TEUs), and Ecoporto Santos (300,000 TEUs).

"Since the publication of the PDZ, the terminals have been implementing a series of operational and infrastructure upgrades that have allowed them to expand their capacities".

Regarding STS10, APS highlighted that "due to the complexity and different future impacts on the Port resulting from decisions about the planning of the Saboó areas, the discussion about the STS10 auction has a much broader scope, involving various other logistical chains beyond just the container segment".

According to APS, this involves accommodating other segments, such as the agribusiness chain with the expansion of fertilizer capacity in the Outeirinhos region (directly related to the potential increase in capacity for this cargo with the transfer of the passenger terminal), project cargo (break bulk), vehicles (ro-ro), and the tourism sector due to the cruise sector's needs.

"Regarding the STS10 proposal, it is important to consider that this project has never ceased to be considered as one of the options to enable the increase of container capacity for the Port of Santos. In this case, scenarios have been evaluated jointly between the Port Authority of Santos (APS) and the Ministry of Ports and Airports (MPor), in an integrated manner with other proposals under discussion".

However, APS does not rule out the transfer of the cruise terminal leased to Concais to Saboó if "this alternative proves advantageous and is approved at all necessary levels".