Memorandum – Infrastructure (11/06/2013)

The Brazilian National Agency for Waterway Transportation ("ANTAQ") recently announced that terminals in the port of Santos, State of Sao Paulo, and ports in the State of Pará will be the first block of terminals to be put to bid in 2013 under the new Ports Law (Law No. 12,815/2013) of June 5, 2013. The bid documents are expected to be issued by October, and bids may occur before the end of the year.

The ports at issue have strategic importance to Brazil. Santos is currently the largest port terminal in Latin America, handling 60 million tons of cargo per year. Ports in the cities of Belém, Vila do Conde, Santarém, Óbidos, Itaituba, and Altamira, in the State of Pará, are the gateway for fuels and other products in the Amazon region.