Secretary defends model suggested by Antaq for the Tecon Santos 10 auction.

Alex Ávila stated that he agrees with the rationale, but reiterated that the Ministry is not "attached" to specific models for granting concessions.

The National Secretary of Ports, Alex Ávila, defended the studies adopted by the National Agency for Waterway Transportation (Antaq) to model the concession of Tecon Santos 10, a mega container terminal planned for the Port of Santos (SP), but stated that the Ministry of Ports and Airports is not "attached" to any model.

He further emphasized that the ministry is awaiting the final analysis on the matter, which is being conducted by the Federal Court of Accounts (TCU), and is expected to be delivered within 15 to 20 days.

Tecon Santos 10 was one of the topics discussed during the second day of the Brazil Export Forum, held this Wednesday (29), in Brasília. The subject has generated great repercussion in the port community due to the proposed modeling of the auction.

The model defined by Antaq (Brazilian National Agency for Waterway Transportation) foresees a bidding process divided into two stages, in order to avoid market concentration. In the first stage, shipping companies that already hold concessions for terminals in the Santos port complex would not be allowed to participate. If there are no interested parties, a second stage would be opened, allowing these companies to participate. The proposal is controversial and has not pleased part of the market, which wants an open auction.

“I agree with the agency's approach. In my assessment, the study is coherent, well-founded, and has a scientific basis. We respect all opinions, just as we will respect the final decision of the Court of Auditors,” he stated.

Ávila added that, although the Ministry has already expressed support for the model proposed by the agency, there is no preference regarding the model and that the Ministry wants to ensure the auction takes place. “It’s important to say that we are not attached to one theory or another. We do have an opinion, but we will comply with whatever is ultimately decided and fulfill the objective of holding the auction,” he pointed out.

Meeting at the TCU (Brazilian Federal Court of Accounts)

During the auction for the access channel to the Port of Paranaguá (PR), on the 22nd, in São Paulo, the head of the department, Silvio Costa Filho, revealed that he will have a meeting this week with Minister Antônio Anastasia, rapporteur of the Tecon Santos 10 project at the TCU (Federal Court of Accounts), in order to align the bidding schedule. When questioned about this meeting, Ávila stated that the meeting has not yet taken place due to scheduling issues, but will be soon.

The Federal Government has high expectations of holding the auction for Tecon Santos 10 this year. Costa Filho even stated that he would like to return to B3, in São Paulo, in the second half of December to finalize the project – which is considered the largest in the port sector in terms of projected investments, exceeding R$ 6.4 billion.

Following analysis by the TCU (Brazilian Federal Court of Accounts), the bidding notice will be released, and 45 days after its publication will be needed for the auction date to be set. The secretary concluded by estimating that this decision should be fully publicized within the next 15 to 20 days, in order to determine whether the bidding process will be postponed to this year or to 2026.

The panel that discussed the forecasts for Tecon Santos 10 also included the participation of Alber Vasconcelos, director of Antaq, and Luis Carlos Montenegro, consultant at TIL. The moderator was Leopoldo Figueiredo, general director of Rede BE News.