Terminal in Santos has no auction deadline after Federal Government delays opinion

In December 2025, TCU recommended holding the mega terminal auction in two stages, but the process has made no progress (Alexsander Ferraz/AT)

The Ministry of Ports and Airports (MPor) has once again missed a deadline related to the Santos 10 Container Terminal (Tecon Santos 10), located at the Saboó wharf (STS10), at the Port of Santos. The technical working group (GTT), established by the ministry in July to assess changes to the mega terminal's auction model, has yet to complete its report.

The situation contradicts what National Ports Secretary Alex Sandro de Ávila had announced on September 22. At the time, the secretary told A Tribuna that the GTT's review would be completed by the end of September and that the process would be forwarded to the National Waterway Transportation Agency (Antaq) this month.

"We have not reached a conclusion yet. We are waiting for this working group to effectively complete its work so that we can take the next steps. The group is still carrying out its activities", the secretary said during the 2nd Mulheres a Bordo 2026 Meeting, held last Thursday at the National Land Transport Agency (ANTT) auditorium in Brasília.

Given the slow progress of the project, Ávila chose not to make any further predictions regarding this stage. Asked whether completion was still possible in October, since the middle of the month had already passed, he replied: "I cannot answer that. I will have to refrain from setting a date for its completion. We hope it will happen as soon as possible, but we still do not have the working group's final report", he said, underscoring the uncertainty surrounding the process.

No progress

The latest missed deadline by MPor adds to the uncertainty surrounding a project that is essential for the country but appears to be facing obstacles preventing it from moving forward.

In December 2025, the Federal Court of Accounts (TCU) recommended that the Tecon Santos 10 auction be held in two stages. Under this model, companies that already control container terminals in Santos, as well as shipping companies (shipowners), would be barred from participating in the first phase. They would only be allowed to enter a second round if no valid bids were submitted in the initial stage.

Prior to that, Antaq had already reviewed the process and recommended restrictions on companies operating at the Port.

Despite the decisions by Antaq and TCU, the Federal Government has not finalized the bidding notice. The discussion was reopened following disagreements within the Executive Branch. While the Civil House began advocating for a tender open to all interested parties, MPor had been supporting the model with restrictions. In April, the process was suspended for further discussions, and the GTT was established in July.

Disagreements

The delay in redefining the bidding model for Tecon Santos 10 stems from disagreements within the Government. The Ministry of Ports and Airports (MPor) supported the model with restrictions endorsed by the Federal Court of Accounts (TCU) in 2025, but the Civil House called for changes and began advocating for a tender open to all interested parties.

Behind this dispute is pressure from major companies interested in acquiring the Port of Santos asset.

The asset

Tecon Santos 10 is designed to occupy an area of 621,900 square meters (m²) and will have the capacity to handle 3.25 million TEUs (Twenty-foot Equivalent Units, the standard measurement for a 20-foot container) per year, in addition to general cargo. The proposed concession term is 25 years, with the possibility of extension.

Estimated investments exceed R\$ 6 billion. The project, which is already behind schedule, is essential to expanding container-handling capacity at the Port of Santos complex.