The Brazilian port operator, Brasil Terminal Portuário (BTP) has requested on 26 May for the early renewal of its leasing contract in the Port of Santos, with an investment commitment of about US$250 million planned for the next 20 years of extension.
The company’s plan regarding the renewal of contract extension is to continue investing to increase its operating capacity within the current limits of the terminal.
For this, the future investments consist of the purchase of four additional ship to shore cranes (STS), 27 rubber tire gantries (RTG) and 46 terminal trucks. With the new acquisitions, the terminal will have a total of 12 STSs, 57 RTGs and 103 terminal tractors.
In addition to the purchase of new equipment, the investment plan also includes the strengthening of the berths to attend vessels of 366m length, the automation process of the terminal’s gates, the relocation of the administrative building, adequacy of other facilities as well as the expansion of the reefer area.
With the above, BTP is expected to increase the operational area by approximately 24,000m², reaching 454,000m² in total.
BTP’s lease agreement was signed in 2007 for a period of 20 years, extendable for another 20 years, based on the Ports Law, while the operations started about 6 years later, in 2013. BTP’s initial investment in the construction and implementation of the terminal reached U$1 billion.
“We understand that the bases of this document are very solid, and our expectation is that the Ministry of Infrastructure, through the Secretariat of Ports, will approve the request for renewal and proceed with the signature of the contractual amendment,” said BTP’s CEO, Ricardo Arten.
