Port of Santos opens bidding for company to remove rocks from navigation channel

A study received by the Port Authority identified 31 points with rocks at the entrance, in the middle, and at the end of the estuary, near Barnabé Island (Vanessa Rodrigues/AT)

The Port Authority of Santos (APS) has opened a bidding process to hire a company to conduct rock removal works in the access channel of the Port of Santos. This is the first stage for dredging the estuary to a depth of 16 meters. The notice was published on Monday (October 7) in the Official Union Journal.

According to the administration of the Santos dock, the winning company will be responsible for the basic and executive projects, as well as the services to remove the rocks located at the bottom of the navigation channel. A study received by the APS identified 31 points existing at the entrance, in the middle (in front of the Giusfredo Santini Passenger Terminal), and at the end of the estuary, near Barnabé Island, as well as access areas and berthing docks.

The president of the APS, Anderson Pomini, stated that the initiative addresses a long-standing need of cabotage and long-haul shipping companies using the Port of Santos. “With the removal of the rocks, we are paving a safe path to achieve 16 meters and subsequently 17 meters of draft, a depth that will provide the definitive assurance of receiving the largest ships in the world at any time of day or night.”

According to the management of the port complex, the contractual period will be 18 months, during which the contracted company will have to remove all rocks, with a total volume estimated at 10,000 cubic meters.

The APS estimates that the rock removal will increase the depth of certain points in the Santos estuary to 16.5 meters. The methods and equipment to be used must be described in the basic and executive projects.

Interested companies can access the notice via the link or directly at the APS headquarters. The submission of proposals and the opening of the bids are scheduled for the 29th of this month.

The management of the port complex also highlighted that the advantage of performing the rock removal before the deepening is having the environmental license already in place.

And what about the cost? When asked about the costs of the rock removal contract, the APS stated that “the estimated value is confidential, as it is subject to a bidding process where the criterion is the lowest price offered.” However, “the investment is included in the total cost of the deepening.”

The dredging to a depth of 16 meters is budgeted at R\$ 324.1 million, and the work may be carried out through a sponsored concession in the form of a public-private partnership (PPP). The APS plans to begin the works in October 2025 and complete them in June 2026