Seatrade Maritime: DP World investing $275m in Port of Santos expansion

Brazil’s Ministry of Ports and Airports and DP World have announced an investment of $275m to expand the cargo handling capacity at the Port of Santos.

The investment aims to increase the terminal’s annual capacity to 2.1m teu by 2028 with 190-metre extension of the quay, increasing the total length from 1,100 to 1,290 metres to simultaneously receive New Panamax-class container ships of up to 150,000 dwt (366 metres).

The project is expected to be completed in August next year.

“These investments strengthen the modernisation of the port sector, improve the efficiency of the port and demonstrate investors’ confidence in Brazil,” Brazil’s ports minister Silvio Costa Filho said after a meeting with DP World representatives in Dubai during an official visit to the UAE.

The recently-approved second phase of investments includes the construction of a new berthing pier, expansion of the back area with a slab-on-piles, improvements to the access gate, inspection areas, infrastructure for refrigerated cargo, and other operational support structures.

Together, the two phases include the acquisition of four new ship-to-shore cranes, essential for handling large vessels; 15 rubber-tyred gantries, which will increase capacity and speed of container operations in the yard; and 40 internal transfer vehicles, which will reinforce the fleet responsible for internal cargo transport. DP World said the equipment meets modern standards of energy efficiency and sustainability, in line with its global strategy to reduce emissions and adopt lower-impact environmental technologies.

Further expansion at the Port of Santos is expected through the auction this year of STS10, a new container terminal with an estimated investment of $740m to add a four-berth terminal bringing a 50% increase in container handling capacity.