Brazil officially calls off the privatisation of the Port of Santos

The CPPI Resolution No. 291, dated 22 November 2023, was published in the Official Gazette on Tuesday (5/12), revoking Resolution No. 246 of 2022 which included the management of the ports of São Sebastião, Bahia (Aratu-Candeias and Ilhéus), and Santos in the National Privatisation Programme, Brazilian media reported.

“The removal from the privatisation programme and the delegation of authority to the Port of Santos impose on us the duty and challenge of demonstrating that a public enterprise can be efficient,” said Anderson Pomini, President of the Port Authority of Santos.

The partial concession of access to the Port of Santos, services, as well as the Santos-Guarujá tunnel, continues to be authorised but the management of the port authority will remain public.

The Brazilian Bank for Economic and Social Development (BNDES), the National Waterway Transportation Agency (Antaq), and the Ministry of Ports and Airports (MPor) will continue to be responsible for coordinating and monitoring the partial concession of port services.

The SSB01 Terminal in the Port of São Sebastião is qualified under the same resolution within the Investment Partnerships Programme but the port management has been excluded from the National Privatisation Plan.