Santos Brasil has announced that the project which will enhance the capacity of Tecon Santos to 3 million TEUs will be completed five years ahead of the initial schedule.
This operational capacity, initially slated for 2031, will be delivered to the Port of Santos by 2026.
Santos Brasil is moving up the purchase of equipment and accelerating construction work in the yard to reach this milestone. The company’s investment cycle for the expansion and modernization of Tecon Santos, one of the largest and most efficient container terminals in Latin America, began in 2019 and involves an amount of R$2.6 billion (US$470 million), of which roughly R$1.3 billion (US$235 million) has already been invested.
In 2024 alone, around R$420 million (US$76.5 million) will be allocated to the terminal, increasing its capacity from the current 2.4 million to 2.6 million TEUs. Between 2026 and 2031 – the date of delivery of the complete terminal expansion and modernization project – investments will be made in replacing equipment, improving flow, service level, decarbonization, and systems, among others, but everything that has a direct impact on increasing of capacity will be completed by 2026.
According to Antonio Carlos Sepúlveda, CEO of Santos Brasil, by moving up the investments in Tecon Santos, the company will help ensure that demand at the Port of Santos (which had an average growth in container handling of 3.3% per year in the last decade) will be met over the next ten years.
“Our strategy is to always have around 200,000 TEUs of capacity available at the terminal so that exporters, importers and shipowners have guaranteed space for their cargo, with a high service level at the most important port in Brazil,” he explains.
The Tecon Santos expansion and modernization project initially involved works to deepen the quay and extend its length by 220 meters, to 1,200 meters overall, making the terminal the only one in South America with the capacity to simultaneously receive up to three 366-meter New Panamax ships, which are the largest vessels arriving in Brazil.
The company is now focussing on works in the handling yard. Construction of a new container storage yard is already underway. To make room for this area, the current administrative buildings will be demolished, and the electricity substation and scales will be transferred to new areas. A new administrative building will be built next to the land-based entrance. Furthermore, to expand the use of electrical equipment, works are being carried out to electrify the yard and to increase the number of sockets for refrigerated containers, which will reach 3,000 units.
Among the equipment, Santos Brasil highlights the acquisitions of two portainers (ship-to-shore cranes) and eight e-RTGs (electric rubber tired gantry cranes), in addition to two forklifts for empty containers, as well as 50 terminal tractors and 50 trailers for cargo handling, all of which are already in operation.
Additionally, electric forklifts and radio frequency (RFID) data collectors will be used to expand capacity and increase accuracy in inventory management. The use of CNG-powered trucks and buses for internal circulation and the installation of solar energy panels are also part of the project, aligned with the company’s environmental targets, which include carbon neutralization of its operations by 2040.
Moreover, in the IT area, investments included the purchase and implementation of a new Terminal Operating System (TOS) and CyberLogitec’s OPUS, and are geared toward the acquisition of software and equipment to ensure greater use of artificial intelligence in planning and operations.
