Posted on October 26, 2026
By Gabriel Malheiros
Brazil’s Ministry of Ports and Airports (MPor) has become adept at repeating announcements. The latest example is its port investment portfolio for 2027–2030, unveiled by Ports and Airports Minister Tomé Franca earlier this month, which includes several delayed port auctions.
The scale of the figures is striking: 34 auctions involving R$20.6 billion in planned private investment, 70 authorizations for private port developments totaling R$33.1 billion, and another 18 public port infrastructure projects worth R$2.15 billion.
The problem is that several of the main projects were already on the government’s agenda for 2026, a year now drawing to a close. In other words, they were announced but have yet to move forward. Among them is the Tecon Santos 10 container terminal, located at the Saboó quay (STS10) in the Port of Santos, a long-running project that calls for R$6.45 billion in investment from the winning bidder.
Another is SSB01, a multipurpose terminal at the Port of São Sebastião, in São Paulo state, where the future leaseholder is expected to invest R$3.84 billion. The list also includes ITJ01, the long-term lease project for the container and general cargo terminal at the Port of Itajaí, in Santa Catarina, which calls for R$2.66 billion in private investment.
The portfolio also includes VDC10, a terminal for handling and storing dry and liquid bulk cargo at the Port of Vila do Conde, in Barcarena, Pará state, with R$1.93 billion in planned investment, and IQI15, a terminal for handling and storing agricultural dry bulk at the Port of Itaqui, in Maranhão, with an estimated R$1.22 billion. Neither project is new: VDC10 had previously been scheduled for 2025, while IQI15 was expected to be auctioned in 2026.
Government Defends Delayed Port Auctions as Project Continuity
National Ports Secretary Alex Sandro de Ávila was questioned about the issue by A Tribuna during the second Mulheres a Bordo 2026 (Women on Board) event, held last week at the National Land Transportation Agency (ANTT) auditorium in Brasília.
He downplayed the situation and avoided describing the repeated announcements as such, instead calling the process a matter of “continuity,” despite the delays that have marked the ministry’s agenda over the years.
Ávila explained that, until an auction takes place, the project remains in the development portfolio “so that it can reach a level of maturity at which it has all the approvals and authorizations needed to be brought to market.”
“I continue to see and assess this as a portfolio of projects that is closely aligned with and complementary to the logistics needs of different types of cargo, particularly in Brazil’s North and Northeast regions. This is especially relevant because projections point to a strong trend of continued agribusiness growth and development, particularly in those regions,” he said.
Ávila also stressed the importance of planning. “That is why we see this as continuity,” he added.
A Tribuna contacted the Ministry of Ports and Airports for further details on all the planned investments in its port portfolio. The ministry initially requested additional time to respond, which the newspaper granted. Even so, the ministry missed the extended deadline and provided no clarification.
