The president and CEO of the Brazilian Association of Port Terminals (ABTP), Jesualdo Silva, the executive director of ABTP, Cláudia Borges, and the Minister of Ports and Airports, Tomé Franca, signed on Wednesday morning (April 22) a technical cooperation agreement to support the Navegue Simples Program, a federal government initiative to modernize and simplify port navigation processes in Brazil.
The agreement provides for the development of studies, research, technical proposals and public policies that contribute to reducing bureaucracy and improving operational efficiency in the maritime sector, with new technologies and administrative improvements.
According to Franca, the signing reinforced the work already underway between the Ministry of Ports and Airports (MPOR) and ABTP in studies and discussions in favor of the sector. The protocol signing ceremony took place at the event "Dialogue with ABTP Member Companies," attended by MPOR Executive Secretary Thayrine Oliveira, National Secretary of Ports Alex Avila, MPOR Director of Sectoral Policy Programs, Planning and Innovation Tetsu Koike, and MPOR Director of New Concessions and Port Regulatory Policies Bruno Neri da Silva.
The live event took place at MPOR headquarters, from where it was broadcast.
In the videoconference, the minister debated with over 100 representatives of ABTP member companies from different regions of the country about challenges and prospects for his tenure at the Ministry. The minister emphasized at the meeting the need for partnerships with the private sector. "If we didn't have them, port handling would fall to one-third of what it currently is," Franca stated, and he also presented MPOR's project pipeline for 2026. The ministry plans investments on the order of R$ 17.2 billion for 2026 and has 15 auctions scheduled for the second half of the year.
Representativeness
The president and CEO of the Brazilian Association of Port Terminals (ABTP), Jesualdo Silva, recalled that ABTP represents companies that own over 250 port terminals, encompassing economic agents responsible for 14.5% of GDP and over 70% of national port handling. ABTP's work is dedicated to promoting the development of the port sector, always with a focus on efficiency, quality and achieving the lowest Brazil cost.
In this regard, the president of ABTP's Deliberative Council, Roberto Oliva, highlighted the minister's support for the approval of Bill 733/2025 soon. "From what we understand, the report is nearly ready to be submitted to the Chamber of Deputies Plenary, which would be very important for the national economy, given improvements in terms of income, employment, and optimized trade," he said.
According to the vice-president of ABTP's Deliberative Council, Niveo Maluf, global companies in the sector consider Brazil as a priority in investment projections. "Let it be your legacy, minister, to turn this bill into law and give Brazil the comfort it needs," he said.
For Cláudia Borges, executive director of ABTP, the formalization of the agreement demonstrates the willingness of the private sector to build, collectively, a positive agenda for the port sector, with the objective of ensuring efficiency, innovation and the removal of bureaucratic obstacles in port operations.
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