Posted on June 30, 2025
Brazil has 57 private-use terminal (TUP) projects involving a total of 76.4bn reais (US$13.7bn) in investments, according to a survey carried out by private terminals association (ATP) at the request of BNamericas.
TUPs are port facilities operated by private companies, located outside an organized port area and used for the handling or storage of cargo owned by the terminal or third parties, destined for or originating from waterway transport.
The study considers TUPs with contracts already signed with the authorities but not yet in operation.
The five projects with the highest capex are Macaé port terminal in Rio de Janeiro (8.9bn reais), Santos Terminais Sustentáveis in São Paulo (7.6bn reais), Porto Central terminal in Espírito Santo (6.3bn reais), Alcântara port terminal in Maranhão (5.8bn reais) and Novo Porto in Paraná (5.7bn reais).
Brazil currently has 277 TUPs, of which 217 are in operation. Seventy of these are represented by ATP. The main products handled at these terminals include oil, minerals and soybeans.
“TUPs handle around two-thirds of all Brazilian port cargo,” ATP CEO Murillo Barbosa told BNamericas.
According to Barbosa, there is growing development of multipurpose ports such as Açu in Rio de Janeiro, Pecém in Ceará and Central in Espírito Santo.
“They already handle all types of cargo, they are no longer specialized as they used to be,” he said.
Barbosa warned that Brazil must invest in better port-rail integration and criticized the absence of TUPs in some of the government’s strategic planning studies.
“How can an activity that handles 65% of everything Brazil moves not be included in the planning?” he said.
Port of Santos
Although it is not a private terminal, ATP is closely monitoring the upcoming auction for Tecon Santos 10 at the port of Santos, as some of its members are interested in the project. The auction is expected to take place by the end of this year.
In May, ATP issued a statement criticizing restrictions on the participation of companies already operating at the port of Santos, in an auction that is expected to attract 6.45bn reais in investments.
The rules also prohibit the future transfer of the new terminal to companies that have corporate holdings in container handling contracts in Santos, Guarujá or Cubatão.
Port authorities argue that these measures will help diversify the pool of players in the region. However, ATP contends that such restrictions undermine the principle of equal treatment and negatively impact the appeal of public assets, reducing the credibility of the auctions and increasing the perceived risk for investors.
“As a result, less advantageous proposals start to be submitted – or, in some cases, are not even formalized – which leads to lower economic efficiency, less innovation and higher costs for the State and society,” ATP argued, advocating for open competition in the auction.
The association also noted that if there are signs of potential excessive market concentration, the appropriate response should be post-auction oversight by regulatory and antitrust agencies, such as competition authority Cade..
