ABTP signs technical cooperation protocol with Ministry of Ports and Airports

The director-president of the Brazilian Association of Port Terminals (ABTP), Jesualdo Silva, the executive director of ABTP, Cláudia Borges, and the Minister of Ports and Airports, Tomé Franca, signed on Wednesday morning (22/4) a technical cooperation agreement to support the Navegue Simples Program, a federal government initiative to modernize and simplify port navigation processes in Brazil.

The agreement provides for the development of studies, research, technical proposals and public policies that contribute to reducing bureaucracy and improving the operational efficiency of the maritime sector, with new technologies and administrative improvements.

According to Franca, the signing reinforced the work that already exists between the Ministry of Ports and Airports (MPOR) and ABTP in studies and debates in favor of the sector. The protocol signing ceremony was held at the “Dialogue with ABTP Associates” event, with the presence of the executive secretary of the MPOR, Thayrine Oliveira, the National Secretary of Ports, Alex Avila, the director of the Sector Policies, Planning and Innovation Program at the MPOR, Tetsu Koike, and the director of New Grants and Port Regulatory Policies at the MPOR, Bruno Neri da Silva.

The live took place at the MPOR headquarters, from where it was broadcast.

In the video conference, the minister debated with more than 100 representatives of ABTP member companies from different regions of the country about the challenges and prospects for his management at the head of the Ministry. The minister highlighted at the meeting the need for partnerships with the private sector. “If we didn’t have it, port traffic would drop to a third of what it currently is,” stated Franca, who also presented the MPOR project pipeline for 2026. The ministry plans investments of around R$17.2 billion for 2026 and has 15 auctions planned for the second half of the year.

Representativeness

The director-president of the Brazilian Association of Port Terminals (ABTP), Jesualdo Silva, recalled that ABTP represents companies that own more than 250 port terminals, covering economic agents responsible for 14.5% of GDP and more than 70% of national port movement. ABTP’s work is dedicated to promoting the development of the port sector, always focusing on efficiency, quality and obtaining the lowest cost in Brazil.

In this sense, the president of the ABTP Deliberative Council, Roberto Oliva, highlighted the minister’s support for the approval of Bill 733/2025 soon. “Based on the information, the report is practically ready to be submitted to the Plenary of the Chamber of Deputies, which would be very important for the national economy, due to improvements in terms of income, employment, in addition to the optimization of trade”, he said.

According to the vice-president of the ABTP Deliberative Council, Niveo Maluf, global companies in the sector consider Brazil as a priority when planning investments. “May your legacy, minister, be to transform this PL into law and give Brazil the comfort it needs”, he said.

For Cláudia Borges, executive director of ABTP, the formalization of the agreement demonstrates the willingness of the private sector to collectively build a positive agenda for the port sector, with the objective of guaranteeing efficiency, innovation and reducing bureaucracy in port operations.