Port of Santos channel public consultation extended for the third time

The waterway channel concession model includes deepening dredging to 16 and 17 meters (Alexsander Ferraz/AT)

The Agência Nacional de Transportes Aquaviários (Antaq) has extended until September 29 the deadline for the public consultation on the concession of the access channel to the Port of Santos, which had ended last Friday. The decision was published this Monday (3) in the Diário Oficial da União (DOU).

This is the third extension, further delaying the concession process. The public consultation was launched on March 17. It was originally scheduled to close on May 2 but was first extended until July 1 and subsequently until July 31.

The Agency will consider contributions regarding the draft documents made available for public consultation and public hearing, provided they are submitted through the electronic form available at: bit.ly/4aqtEsl.

Written contributions must be entered in the appropriate fields of the electronic form, with identification of the contributor. Digital images, including maps, engineering drawings, and photographs, may be attached and submitted by email to anexoaudiencia022026@antaq.gov.br.

No date established

No date has yet been established for the virtual public hearing on the channel concession. It was originally scheduled for April 23. At the time, Antaq stated that a new date would be announced "in due course" and that the format would be changed to a hybrid model, including an in-person session in Brasília. However, no new date has been announced to date.

The project involves a financial flow of R\$ 23.4 billion over the 25-year contract term, which may be extended for up to 70 years. The mandatory minimum infrastructure investment through the eighth year of the contract is R\$ 688.1 million.

The Port of Santos waterway channel concession model includes deepening dredging to 16 and 17 meters, a feasibility study for an 18-meter depth, maintenance activities, and the implementation of the VTMIS (Vessel Traffic Management and Information System).

The navigation channel is 24.6 kilometers long (divided into four sections), 220 meters wide, has a depth of 15 meters, and an approved operational draft ranging from 13.5 meters at low tide to 14.5 meters at high tide.