en.Wedoany.com Reported - The Board of Directors of Brazil's National Waterway Transportation Agency (ANTAQ) decided on the 13th not to approve the tender for the VDC29 grain terminal at the Organized Port of Vila do Conde, Pará, and will consult the Ministry of Ports and Airports (Ministério de Portos e Aeroportos, MPor), which will decide whether to proceed with the bidding process.
The matter was reinstated on the meeting agenda following a review request by Director Alber Vasconcelos. In his voting opinion, he questioned that the gap between the completion of the feasibility study in 2022 and ANTAQ's project analysis may affect the validity of the Technical, Economic, and Environmental Feasibility Study (Estudo de Viabilidade Técnica, Econômica e Ambiental, EVTEA). He suggested that the technical department re-examine the relevant studies to verify potential impacts, noting that new facts—such as constantly changing port throughput capacity, new projects coming into operation, expansion of existing terminals, growth of logistics chains, and shifts in demand forecasts—may alter the conditions established in the study to varying degrees.
Earlier, the reporting director for the case, Lima Filho, had voted in favor of approving the tender draft at the meeting, finding no obstacles. Director-General Frederico Dias then proposed a third path: consulting MPor to confirm the impacts and decide whether the process should continue. Lima Filho subsequently changed his vote, supporting the Director-General's proposal. ANTAQ now awaits MPor's position, with no deadline set for a response.
The VDC29 terminal is dedicated to the loading, unloading, and storage of solid vegetable bulk cargo such as soybeans and corn, with a designed annual throughput of 7 million tons, an area of 67,000 square meters, road and pier connections, an estimated investment of R$ 908 million, and a 25-year contract term. The project was originally scheduled for tender last year. The Federal Court of Accounts (TCU) authorized the divestiture of the terminal in May last year and made recommendations to MPor, including excluding atypical peaks and troughs from the initial years of the time series when reassessing growth rate calculation methods, and providing solid technical justification and calculation explanations in future feasibility studies.
At the same meeting, ANTAQ approved the publication of the tender notice for the lease of the IQI16 terminal at the Port of Itaqui, Maranhão, and established restrictions on the participation of large companies. Reporting Director Vasconcelos stated that this restriction is based on TCU criteria and constitutes an objective condition. Data show that between 2023 and 2025, one large company handled an average of 80% of the port's fertilizer unloading volume, demonstrating its significant economic strength. Without the restriction, the tender would risk becoming a mere formality, with the new contract destined to be awarded to this operator that dominates the local infrastructure. The project has an estimated investment of R$ 147 million, a 25-year contract term, and the winner will be determined by auction based on the highest concession fee; the terminal is located within the organized port area, covering 20,000 square meters, and is dedicated to the storage and handling of solid mineral bulk cargo such as fertilizers.
ANTAQ's Board of Directors also approved holding a public consultation and hearing for the SUA08 area at the Port of Suape, Pernambuco. The area, designated for the handling and storage of general cargo and containerized cargo, covers 50,000 square meters, with a proposed contract term of 25 years; the deadline for submitting comments has not been announced. A private container terminal already operates within the Port of Suape's area, and another private terminal of the same type was built this year. ICTSI, the public terminal lessee, recently filed a complaint with ANTAQ stating that Maersk, the controlling company of the private terminal, is diverting cargo away from the public terminal.
Regarding the concession proposal for the Integrated Waterway System of Southern Rio Grande do Sul and Lagoa Mirim (Sistema Aquaviário Integrado do Sul e Lagoa Mirim, Saip Sul-Mirim), ANTAQ approved extending the comment submission deadline by 60 days from August 15 to October 14. The reporting director stated that the extension is based on the project's complexity and scale, requiring additional information and technical assessments from relevant parties; the Board also approved holding an additional in-person meeting in Rio Grande do Sul, with the date yet to be set.
The meeting also approved reforms to inland waterway transport regulations, consolidating content previously scattered across 11 rules into 6 new rules. Reporting Director Cristina Castro stated that the technical department supported the proposal, as the consolidation follows two parameters: the legal regime of transport (public or private law), and matters related to authorization procedures, vessel chartering, operating agreements, and vessel certification in the Federal Revenue system, while incorporating adjustments with minor regulatory impact. The reforms aim to improve clarity and accessibility for the regulated industry.
