One of the most important container terminals based in the Port of Santos, Brazil Terminal Portuário (BTP), has received approval from the Audit Court TCU for the early renewal of its lease contract for 20 years, reported Brazilian media.
The Ministry of Ports and Airports (MPor) will review and sign off on the process. The lease extension includes initial investments of $300 million in infrastructure, equipment, and increased operational capacity.
According to the TCU report the upcoming contract will be effective from January 22, 2027, to January 21, 2047, with new investments to be injected within three years of signing. The administrative headquarters will also be relocated, providing an extra 23,406 square metres of space, which will be developed as an exclusive truck access route. This expands BTP’s current area from 430,744 square metres to 454,150 square metres.
In a statement, BTP confirmed “the unanimous approval in the plenary vote of the Audit Court. Having completed this important stage, the process will now be forwarded to MPor for official signing. BTP expects the lease renewal request with the Federal Government to be completed later this year.”
Operating since 2013, BTP is a joint venture between two renowned port operators APM Terminals and Terminal Investment Limited (TiL).
BTP said that “as part of the request to renew its lease contract for another 20 years until 2047, BTP committed to investments of $300 million (R$1.5 billion in December 2020 values), which could be expanded in the coming years.”
BTP expansion of its operations at the Port of Santos. includes acquiring a new fleet of equipment, facility and building adaptations, and gate automation, which should allow a 40% increase in operational capacity. The company’s quay handling capacity will be expanded by acquiring four new and modern ship-to-shore cranes (STS), totalling 12 electrified cranes, in addition to new defences. The reefer area will also see a significant increase, rising from the current 2,128 to about 3,500 refrigerated plugs,” said BTP.
The terminal’s capacity would increase from the existing 1.4 million teus to 2 million teus. The company is also set to implement a 5G platform, “the first private network in the port sector in Latin America, contributing to enhancing the terminal’s performance in the coming years.”
“Brazil Terminal Portuário stands out for its good logistics, technology, modernity, and the implementation of sustainable actions, starting with the location of its facilities, recognized as one of the main global decontamination cases,” said Anderson Pomini, President of the Santos Port Authority (APS).
In its ten years of operation, BTP has seen 7,000 docked ships, handling approximately 14.8 million teus.
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