Government orders Antaq to suspend preparations for terminal auction in Santos

The federal government ordered the National Waterway Transport Agency (Antaq) to suspend preparations related to the auction of the Tecon Santos 10a new container terminal planned for the Port of Santos, considered the largest port leasing project in the history of the sector in the country.

The decision comes at a time of strong debate between the government, regulatory bodies and market agents about the modeling of the event, especially in relation to competition rules and the participation of groups that already operate in the Santos complex. The project foresees investments exceeding R$6 billion and has the potential to expand by approximately 50% container handling capacity in the main port of Latin America.

Behind the scenes, the discussion revolves around restrictions on the participation of shipowners and operators already present in the Port of Santos, such as MSC and Maersk, in addition to the possibility of entry of new national and international players. The suspension of preparations signals that the government intends to review sensitive points in the notice before moving forward with the bidding process.

The topic also gained strategic relevance due to the risk of saturation of the Port of Santos’ operational capacity in the coming years. Industry experts believe that Tecon Santos 10 is essential to avoid logistical bottlenecks and sustain the growth of Brazilian foreign trade.

The temporary halt in preparations could postpone the schedule scheduled for the second half of 2026, reigniting discussions about competitiveness, market concentration and expansion of national port infrastructure.