Posted on May 21, 2025
The Brazilian government is planning to offer a total of four contracts for port terminal leases in July, which are expected to include combined investment commitments of around 1bn reais (US$180mn).
The auction includes terminals in Pará, Rio de Janeiro, Rio Grande do Sul and Alagoas states and will be offered in separate contracts, according to the ports and airports ministry.
In addition to logistics operators and trading companies, the contracts are expected to attract interest from investment funds.
“In recent infrastructure auctions in Brazil, we are seeing the entry of new market participants that go beyond companies that operate in the sector, namely, national and international investment funds. This is happening because the infrastructure sector in Brazil is reaching a level of regulatory and contractual maturity, which attracts the interest of funds looking for contracts with long-term profitability, such as those offered by infrastructure-related assets,” João Cortez, a partner at infrastructure consultancy Vallya, told BNamericas.
“In the case of port assets, there is an additional appeal for investment funds, even those not highly specialized in the sector, which is their connection to Brazil’s strong commodity exports,” Cortez added.
The largest contract will be for the VCD29 terminal in the city of Barcarena, in Pará state. The lease of the terminal at Vila do Conde port involves planned investments of 909mn reais over a 25-year period. The new terminal will be used for the storage and handling of solid vegetable bulk, primarily soybeans and corn.
The second-largest contract will be for the RDJ07 terminal at Rio de Janeiro port, expected to receive 99.4mn reais in investments. The terminal will feature specialized infrastructure for handling oil. The concession also has a 25-year term.
For the POA26 terminal, located at Porto Alegre port in Rio Grande do Sul state, 21.1mn reais will be invested. The terminal is intended for the handling and storage of solid bulk cargo. The concession term is 10 years.
Meanwhile, the TMP Maceió port terminal, in Alagoas state, is designated for boarding and disembarkation of passengers. In addition to the terminal, the contract includes construction of an adjacent parking lot. The investment will be 3.7mn reais, with a 25-year concession term.
Previous auction
In Apri, the federal government auctioned four port terminal leases in separate rounds, securing 2.2bn reais in investment commitments amid high competition.
Three of the terminals offered during that bidding process are located at Paranaguá port in Paraná state.
The PAR25 terminal was awarded to the ALDC consortium, comprising Louis Dreyfus Company Brasil and Amaggi Exportação e Importação, which offered a concession fee of 219mn reais. They outbid ICTSI Américas (218mn reais), Interalli Grãos (173mn reais), Rocha Granéis Sólidos de Exportação (50mn reais) and BTG Pactual Commodities Sertrading (50,000 reais).
ALDC will operate a 43,400m2 area under a 35-year lease, with 233mn reais earmarked for terminal upgrades and 331mn reais for broader public infrastructure improvements, including paving, a conveyor belt system and rail connections to the Moegão terminal.
BTG Pactual Commodities Sertrading secured the PAR14 terminal with a 225mn-real bid, surpassing ICTSI Américas (222mn reais), Infra II Investment (144mn reais), Potencial Agro (60mn reais) and Rocha Granéis Sólidos de Exportação (100mn reais). The 82,400m2 site will receive 529mn reais in terminal upgrades and 477mn reais in public infrastructure, including road improvements, a rail link to Moegão and a bulk cargo handling system connected to a new T-shaped pier.
Cargill Brasil Participações won the PAR15 terminal lease with a 411mn-real bid, narrowly beating Arco Norte Infraestrutura e Logística (410mn reais), as well as BTG Pactual (124mn reais), ALDC (28mn reais), ICTSI Américas (31mn reais) and Infra II Investment (11mn reais).
The 43,200m2 site will receive 293mn reais in private investments and 311mn reais in public infrastructure development.
In Rio de Janeiro, the RDJ11 terminal was leased under a 10-year contract to a consortium formed by Triunfo Logística and Sul Real GMBL, which submitted a 2.1mn-real offer. The terminal, designated for handling bulk solids and general cargo, is slated to receive 6.8mn reais in investment.
