Port of Santos auction to test new Brazilian concession model

The upcoming auction for the access channel of the Port of Santos is being closely watched by the market as a decisive test for Brazil’s new port concession model. This model, which began with the Paranaguá auction in late 2025, shifts the responsibility for maintaining navigability—including dredging, nautical signaling, and operational management—from the state to the private sector.

Industry experts note that the new logic ties compensation to guaranteed navigability rather than the volume of sediment dredged, a move intended to prevent an excessive “dredging industry” where operators are incentivized to remove more material than necessary. While some market agents view the model as potentially burdensome due to the transfer of demand and hydrological risks to the private sector, others see it as a necessary step for efficiency.

In Santa Catarina, the Federation of Industries (FIESC) is advocating for the independent concession of the access channel to the Itajaí Port Complex. FIESC argues that separating channel management from terminal operations is essential to ensure dredging efficiency and predictability, protecting the complex from contractual bottlenecks and extreme weather events.