The Federal Government intends to publish the call for bids for Tecon Santos 10, a megacontainer terminal planned for the Port of Santos, still in 2026, leaving the auction for the beginning of 2027. The expectation was reinforced by the Minister of Ports and Airports, Tomé Franca, in an interview with the BE News portal.
According to the minister, the working group created to develop a new version of the project is close to concluding its activities. Despite this, Franca avoided setting a deadline for the end of this stage, highlighting that the process will still depend on the analysis of the National Waterway Transportation Agency (Antaq) and, depending on developments, may return to the Federal Court of Accounts (TCU).
The priority, according to Franca, is to structure a consistent model to expand the capacity of the Port of Santos and find a partner capable of executing one of the largest port investments planned in the country.
Project is treated as urgent
The minister acknowledged that the expansion of the Port of Santos is an urgent matter and recalled that Tecon Santos 10 has been discussed for approximately 14 years.
For the government, the delay in defining the project needs to be overcome without compromising the quality of regulatory modeling. The proposal under development will be forwarded to Antaq after the conclusion of the guidelines discussed between the Ministry of Ports and Airports and the Civil House.
The government's intention is to complete these stages in time to allow the publication of the call for bids still this year, although the minister emphasized that the deadlines do not depend exclusively on the ministry.
Participation rules remain at the center of the debate
One of the most sensitive points of the process continues to be the definition of which companies will be able to participate in the auction.
Antaq and the TCU have been advocating restrictions on participation by companies and shipowners that already operate container terminals at the Port of Santos, with the aim of avoiding greater market concentration. Meanwhile, the Civil House and representatives of exporters advocate a more open competition, including the possibility of participation by current operators, provided that the winning bidder eventually divests assets already existing at the port.
The new working group brings together members of the National Ports Secretariat and the Investment Partnership Program (PPI) and analyzes contributions presented by the Civil House to reach a joint proposal.
Franca, however, avoided anticipating which model will be adopted and stated that it will be necessary to await the conclusion of the work.
Tecon Santos 10 may increase capacity by more than 50%
Planned to be installed in the region of Cais do Saboo, Tecon Santos 10 is considered one of the structuring projects for the expansion of the country's largest port complex.
According to data presented by BE News, the project envisions approximately R$ 5.64 billion in investments and could reach handling capacity of up to 3.5 million TEUs per year when fully implemented.
With this, the new terminal would have the potential to increase the Port of Santos' capacity for containerized cargo handling by more than 50%.
The port currently handles about 6 million TEUs per year and already operates close to the limits of its available infrastructure, increasing pressure for capacity expansion.
Port saturation also enters the agenda
In addition to Tecon Santos 10, the Ministry of Ports and Airports created another working group intended to monitor saturation levels at Brazilian ports, both at terminals and at land access points.
According to Tomé Franca, the objective will be to identify bottlenecks and seek solutions involving railroads, highways, waterways and port infrastructure, strengthening intermodality and logistics efficiency.
The minister highlighted that the new National Logistics Plan (PNL) already identifies port access as one of the main challenges of national infrastructure.
Decision will be decisive for Santos' future
The definition of the Tecon Santos 10 model will be one of the most important decisions for the future of container handling at the Port of Santos.
``` ```htmlBeyond the physical expansion of the complex, the project involves competition issues, attraction of private investments and the strategic positioning of the port in light of expected growth in Brazilian foreign trade.
If the timeline desired by the government is met, 2026 should end with the tender notice published and 2027 could begin with the holding of one of the most anticipated port auctions in the country.
```
