Granting of the access channel to Port of Santos and advances to public consultation

Notice provides for a set of works and services throughout the concession period, including deepening to 17 meters (Alexsander Ferraz/AT)

The Agência Nacional de Transportes Aquaviários (Antaq) will receive contributions until May 2 for the improvement of the technical and legal documents related to the bidding process for the concession of the access channel to Port of Santos. The draft legal documents and technical materials are available at the link .

The process was opened on the 17th. The agency will consider only contributions that address the drafts made available for public consultation and hearing, submitted exclusively through the electronic form.

With the aim of fostering discussion and clarifying any doubts regarding the documents related to the concession project, Antaq will also hold a public hearing — on a date, time, and location to be defined.

The concession of the access channel may involve up to R\$ 23.453 billion over an initial 25-year contract, with the possibility of deepening the channel to 18 meters.

The notice provides for a broad set of works and services throughout the concession period. First, dredging to reach a depth of 16 meters. Then, further deepening to 17 meters. These services involve R\$ 688 million.

Other investments

In addition to deepening dredging, the contract предусматриes the installation of the Vessel Traffic Management and Information System (VTMIS), environmental management services, an operating license, studies for the implementation of a current guide to reduce sedimentation on beaches, and surveys to assess the feasibility of deepening the channel to 18 meters.

The concession project for the access channel to the Port of Santos is considered strategic for national logistics. The studies reached Antaq in August 2025 but underwent reassessments and technical adjustments before returning to the agenda for deliberation.

With the public consultation open, the regulatory process moves forward again. The contributions will support the final adjustments to the project before submission to the Ministério de Portos e Aeroportos (MPor) and the Tribunal de Contas da União (TCU), steps required for the publication of the notice.

The proposal differs from the model adopted at Port of Paranaguá, in Paraná, whose concession was carried out in October last year and ratified in December by MPor, becoming the first access channel in the country transferred to the private sector.

In Paranaguá, the channel improvement project totals R\$ 1.22 billion. Planned interventions include widening, rock removal, and deepening until the desired draft is achieved.

At the end of the first five years of the concession, the concessionaire must deepen the channel to ensure an operational draft — the distance between the lowest point of the vessel and the water surface — of 15.5 meters. Currently, the draft is 13.3 meters.