President of Infra suggests other ports as an alternative to Santos

Development associated with orderly growth was the theme of a panel at the 2º Encontro Porto & Mar last week in Brasília (Dimmy Falcão/Special for A Tribuna)

Although the Port of Santos is the largest in Brazil and in the Southern Hemisphere, it is necessary, in addition to focusing attention on it, to reflect on other options when it comes to investments, according to Jorge Bastos, CEO of Infra S.A. The view was presented during the panel “Development associated with orderly growth: the advancement of services in port authorities”, part of the 2º Encontro Porto & Mar, held last week in Brasília.

“It is very important that this terminal (Tecon Santos 10) be auctioned soon. It is important for Santos, for the country, for everyone. And we must create other alternatives for Santos. We already say that Santos is oversized, so there are other options. For example, directing cargo to the Porto de Itaguaí (RJ), which has an excellent natural draft and may handle additional cargoes, but needs access. We have to think a little outside the box and not only about improving Santos. Let’s look at other ports”, he argues.

Aristides Russi Jr., CEO of JBS Terminais, noted that Brazil must stop claiming that the port infrastructure problem belongs to all of Latin America, when that is not exactly the case.

“Most Latin American countries have better indicators than ours. When we talk about competitiveness, we see Paraguay making leaps in administrative reforms and legal certainty. At times, it is far more attractive to invest there than in Brazil. We are one of the ten largest economies in the world, yet we cannot receive 366-meter vessels in the main Brazilian ports due to waterway accessibility. Chile and Peru, countries that do not have the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) that we have, receive these vessels”, he says.

Examples Eduardo Jeronymo, director of Garin Partners, cites Suape (PE) and the Companhia das Docas do Estado da Bahia (Codeba) as examples of investment and planning vanguard. “In the case of Suape, there is a concept of a rail connection to an asset, enabling the attraction of new cargoes. Codeba, meanwhile, is bringing forward the idea of a possible incorporation of the São Francisco waterway”, he explains. “When we look at these initiatives, part of the problem is already being solved. We know there is still much to be done”, he adds.

Tiago Nunes, Planning Manager of the Ferrovia Interna do Porto de Santos (Fips), believes that the model established through the partnership of Rumo, MRS and VLI — responsible for management — may serve as an inspiration for other locations in terms of rail logistics.

“Not everything is rosy. There is a lot of conflict and discussion, but what is necessary and essential for any model that wishes to follow the Fips example is identifying common ground and ensuring that the association protects it, understanding what is best for the rail system. I believe it is a model that can be replicated, and in fact, studies are already under way in other regions. We are very pleased to know that Fips is a successful case”, he states.

Criteria Erick Aeck, country director in Brazil for Van Oord, a Dutch shipbuilding and dredging company, says that there should be no enchantment with the concession of the access channel of the Paranaguá Port (PR), even though the bidding round was considered a success. For him, competitions of this kind cannot be based solely on price, but also on the technical capabilities offered by the interested company.

Dredging Erick Aeck, country director in Brazil for Van Oord, a Dutch shipbuilding and dredging company, suggests that although the dredging concession model for the access channel of the Paranaguá Port, in Paraná, is a success, there should not be excessive enthusiasm. He highlights items that can be improved in upcoming rounds. “I was at COP30, in Belém (PA), where we discussed several times nature-based solutions, known as green infrastructure — in our case, dredging actions that harness natural forces to ensure execution with minimal possible impact. This criterion did not exist in this concession, and it is already widely used in Europe”, he explains.

Aeck adds that, in the Netherlands, there is an environmental score required for a company to win such a bid. “So, it would not be price alone, but technique and price — roughly speaking, adapting to our reality. This is a point we need to consider in future concessions”, he concludes.