<img attr-cid="policy:1.476153" attr-version="policy:1.476153:1756135400" class="p-smartimage" src="/image/policy:1.476153/Ecoporto.JPG?f=3x2&amp;w=400&amp;q=0.3" /> 
Saboó quay, in Santos, currently partially occupied by Ecoporto, will give way to the largest container terminal in South America (Alexsander Ferraz/AT)

Every major project naturally comes with impacts — and the same is true for the Santos 10 Container Terminal (Tecon Santos 10), located at the Saboó quay (STS10) in the Port of Santos, with an auction scheduled for December. In this context, mitigation and compensation measures will be implemented for the benefit of the City, according to the National Waterway Transport Agency (Antaq).

“According to the study that supports the terminal’s bidding process, the legislation of the municipality of Santos requires, within the context of environmental licensing, the preparation of a Preliminary Neighborhood Impact Study (EIV), as well as a Traffic Impact Report (RIT)”, states Antaq.

The Agency explains that the future lessee must bear all costs associated with meeting these obligations, including compensation and mitigation costs. “However, if the investment amount exceeds R\$ 5.79 million, the lessee may request economic-financial rebalancing of the contract, with a 50-50% share between the lessee and the Granting Authority, for the excess amount”, it details.

Mayor Rogério Santos (Republicanos) explained that the City Hall will propose mitigation and compensation actions based on the report generated by the EIV. “These will likely be actions focused on drainage and access, in addition to some social counterparts intended to also benefit the City’s population”, he said. “We know that the concession revenue goes entirely to the Federal Government, and the Municipality will be affected both positively and negatively. But the measures will only be proposed based on the report that the winning company is required to present to the municipality”, he added.

The scale of the future project is impressive. Tecon Santos 10 will be the largest container terminal in South America. It will occupy 621.9 thousand square meters, with a capacity of 3.25 million TEU (twenty-foot equivalent units) per year, plus 91 thousand tons of general cargo. The contract term will be 25 years, starting in 2026 and ending in 2050, though it may be extended.

“This terminal will allow Brazil to leap from 46th to 15th place in the global container handling ranking. It will increase our handling capacity by 30%. That’s a lot. It’s extremely important for Brazil, but it also has to be good for Santos. As mayor, I will fight for counterparts so that this terminal has only positive impacts on the City and port workers”, the mayor said.

Another benefit requested by the City Hall directly involves the relocation of the current Passenger Terminal from the Outeirinhos area to Valongo, near the Historic Center of Santos.

“The City made a contribution, which was accepted, for the construction of the new passenger terminal. We are also requesting that the current area be converted into a public quay to serve casual port workers, truck drivers, and transport companies, in addition to the compensations the terminal must provide to the City”, he explained.

<img attr-cid="policy:1.476152" attr-version="policy:1.476152:1756135422" class="p-smartimage" src="/image/policy:1.476152/Costa_Pa.JPG?f=3x2&amp;w=400&amp;q=0.3" /> 
Giusfredo Santini Passenger Terminal, operated by Concais, will be moved to Valongo, on a platform built by the lessee of Tecon Santos 10 (Alexsander Ferraz/AT)

Negligible 
Former Environmental Prosecutor of Santos, Daury de Paula Júnior, now retired, considers the R\$ 5.79 million amount negligible, even when considering only the impact on cultural heritage.

“If the traffic impact assessment indicates it, the developer may have to build, for example, an access ramp, and just this work could cost dozens of times more than the R\$ 5.7 million, as happened with the JK Iguatemi Shopping Mall in São Paulo”, he said, referring to the 2012 case when it was necessary to build a viaduct and pedestrian bridge due to the traffic impact caused by the development.

Collaboration 
The president of the Santos Port Authority (APS), Anderson Pomini, said that if the value is lower than necessary, APS may contribute. “The important thing is the integration of the Port with the City. In addition, the municipal law itself foresees the impact of port operations”, he explains.

Pomini explains that the City Hall generally uses the counterpart credits to build public facilities such as daycares and schools. “But it can allocate part of it to mitigate local environmental impacts. The impact is always more positive than negative”, he said.

Architect and urban planner Ricardo Andalaft advocates for more efficient and effective counterparts to meet the needs of the population. “And not only for local residents, but also for everyone who uses these roads and spaces to get to work, school, or home”, said the technical manager at Architetando.

Building on this reasoning, Andalaft highlighted housing as one of the areas to be explored. “Santos has a significant housing deficit, and perhaps this counterpart could also help better utilize some obsolete areas in the City that could be repurposed for housing”, he said. “Not necessarily through the conventional CDHU model, but other housing proposals that might even include occupying the City Center, bringing people closer to their workplaces, especially those directly involved in port-related services.”

Employment, he added, also needs to be considered. “And ensuring that the range of employment opportunities is shared with the local population. We really expect this: that the counterpart includes services that meet the local demand for labor, especially in this region.”

<img attr-cid="policy:1.476151" attr-version="policy:1.476151:1756135441" class="p-smartimage" src="/image/policy:1.476151/Congesti.JPG?f=3x2&amp;w=400&amp;q=0.3" /> 
Santos roads need investment so that heavy vehicles do not hinder the mobility of the City's residents (Vanessa Rodrigues/AT)

Lessee must fulfill environmental requirements 
The National Waterway Transport Agency (Antaq) reports that the future lessee of Tecon Santos 10 must maintain, throughout the contract period, all necessary environmental licenses, permits, and authorizations to fully operate port activities.

“The draft contract also includes the obligation to prepare and disclose an annual Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions inventory, which will feed into the Agency’s emissions inventory, as well as the replacement of current equipment with less polluting ones”, it states.

According to the Agency, the future lessee will also be required to submit an Environmental Impact Study, among other assessments, with reference to programs to be implemented during both the construction and operational phases of the terminal.

“The project also includes the implementation of environmental compensation measures and the lessee’s responsibility to obtain environmental licensing from the Environmental Company of the State of São Paulo (Cetesb) for the construction of the platform and pier of the Valongo Passenger Terminal”, it adds.

In fact, the future lessee of Tecon Santos 10 will have a maximum period of four years from the start of the contract to complete the platform (35,097 m²) and pier (17,854 m²) works. “So far, no investments have been planned by the company for road access works to the future Valongo Passenger Terminal”, the Agency reports.

Ecoporto 
Santos Port Authority (APS) president Anderson Pomini revealed that one of the project requirements is that Tecon Santos 10 includes, in addition to containers, general cargo and vessels equipped for handling vehicles — known as Ro-Ro (roll-on/roll-off) — to compensate for Ecoporto’s departure from the site, which is currently under a transitional contract to make way for the new terminal.

According to Antaq, compensation for investments made by Ecoporto will be the responsibility of the future lessee. “According to the approved draft tender documents and contract, it is required — prior to signing the contract — that the future lessee provide proof of deposit in the amount of R\$ 307.49 million, to serve as financial safeguard for future reimbursement resulting from an economic rebalancing process in favor of Ecoporto Santos”, Antaq explains. The final destination of Ecoporto has not been disclosed.

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