en.Wedoany.com Reported - The Santos Port Authority (APS) officially initiated the channel deepening project for the Port of Santos in July 2026, planning to increase the main channel depth from the current 15 meters to 16 meters. This marks the first channel deepening project at the Port of Santos in 14 years. After successfully lifting a judicial injunction that had suspended the bidding results, APS issued a service order to the winning bidder, Jan de Nul do Brasil Dragagem Ltda., a Brazilian subsidiary of the Belgian group Jan de Nul, authorizing the commencement of construction operations.

Located on the coast of São Paulo state, the Port of Santos is the largest port in Latin America, handling approximately 28% of Brazil's foreign trade cargo throughput. The current depth of 15 meters has become insufficient to meet the demands of larger vessels requiring greater draft in recent years, limiting the port's capacity to handle ultra-large container ships. This 1-meter channel deepening is expected to increase the port's cargo handling capacity by about 20%, effectively enhancing its competitiveness in the international shipping market.

According to the plan, the project includes environmental licensing, basic and construction design, channel deepening dredging, and two years of maintenance dredging in the new channel area. The total contract value is approximately 618 million Brazilian reais (about $105 million USD). Construction will proceed in phases, starting with non-explosive rock removal at three key points in the channel—near Barnabé Island, the Itapema reef near the Outeirinhos terminal, and the Teffé reef near the Concais passenger terminal—from July to October 2026. After rock removal is completed, dredging operations will commence in full. Currently, Jan de Nul has initiated the required environmental impact studies (EIA/RIMA) to obtain environmental permits from the Brazilian Institute of Environment and Renewable Natural Resources (Ibama). The first phase is expected to take up to 21 months.

Anderson Pomini, President of the Santos Port Authority, stated that dredging is a necessary measure to maintain the port's competitiveness and ensure ideal navigation and berthing conditions. The launch of this channel deepening project marks a critical step in the modernization upgrade of the Port of Santos as Brazil's core maritime hub.