Brazil unveils US$2bn investment plan for port sector expansion

The Brazilian infrastructure ministry signed contracts with six private terminal operators that will generate investments worth around 10.5bn reais (US$2bn) in the ports sector.

The contracts are for the construction of new terminals in five ports that will help make Brazil more competitive in international trade, the ministry said in a press release.

The ports are Ponta de Pedras, in Pará state, Santos (São Paulo), Santarém (Pará), Manaus (Amazonas) and Paranaguá (Paraná).

The projects will expand the offering of port services and the storage capacity for solid, liquid and gaseous bulk, as well as general and containerized cargo, the ministry said. 

The contracts were signed with Louis Dreyfus Company Brasil, Terminal Portuário Logístico (TPL), Empresa Brasileira de Terminais e Armazéns Gerais (EBT), Atem’s Distribuidora de Petróleo, Lajes Logística and Porto Guará Infraestrutura. 

“Ports are no longer bottlenecks and have become part of the solution to Brazil's problems. We’re delivering efficient logistics to the port sector, thanks to the modern legislation we have today and the trust of the private sector," said Mário Povia, secretary of ports and waterway transportation.