Brazil’s second largest container terminal, Terminal de Contêineres de Paranaguá (TCP), has had its concession renewed early by 25 years after the Brazilian government approved its R$1.1bn (US$310m) investment plan.
The Secretaria de Portos (SEP) granted the contract renewal, beginning in 2023, within the terms of the new regulatory frame of the port sector.
During the first phase of the project, which is scheduled to be completed by the end of 2018, R$540m (US$154m) will be invested to expand the facility in Paraná state in southern Brazil.
The expansion will include extending the pier by 220 m to 1,100 m in quay length, the construction of dolphin structures to be used exclusively for the operation of vehicle carrier vessels and the enlargement of the terminal’s yard area from 320,000 sq m to 500,000 sq m by 2018.
By 2019, TCP is expected to increase its handling capacity by 67% from 1.5m teu to 2.5m teu per year.
Luiz Antonio Alves, CEO of TCP, said: “Over the past four years, we have invested approximately R$400m in the expansion and modernization of TCP, nearly doubling its capacity to 1.5m teu and increasing its productivity considerably.”
The new investment, he stated, would help TCP adapt to cargo handling market trends such as the use of “larger and larger” ships.
“The new quay extension will allow TCP to simultaneously receive as many as three of the largest ships that operate in international trade,” added Alves.
In addition to the investment over the next three years, TCP will also commit to investing R$550m (US$154m) over the next 35 years.
Early renewals of public terminal concessions for private use were foreseen in Ports Law No. 12,815, which came into force in 2013.
Apart from TCP, 45 other terminals have submitted early renewal proposals to Brazil’s National Agency for Waterway Transportation (ANTAQ), which granted support to TCP’s proposals in October 2014.
Source: Container Management
Source: Container Management