{"id":53249,"date":"2024-07-25T18:10:28","date_gmt":"2024-07-25T21:10:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.datamarnews.com\/?post_type=noticias&p=53249"},"modified":"2024-07-26T16:36:11","modified_gmt":"2024-07-26T19:36:11","slug":"public-private-partnership-to-finance-deeper-draft-at-babitonga-bay-access-channel","status":"publish","type":"noticias","link":"https:\/\/datamarnews.com\/noticias\/public-private-partnership-to-finance-deeper-draft-at-babitonga-bay-access-channel\/","title":{"rendered":"Public-Private Partnership to Finance Deeper Draft at Babitonga Bay Access Channel"},"content":{"rendered":"

A groundbreaking partnership between the public and private sectors is being negotiated to finance the deepening of the Babitonga Bay access channel on the coast of Santa Catarina. This initiative involves the ports of S\u00e3o Francisco do Sul, managed by the Santa Catarina government, and Itapo\u00e1, a private terminal. They are discussing a unique financing model for the project, budgeted at R$ 300 million.<\/p>\n

The proposed financial arrangement is unprecedented in Brazil. Porto Itapo\u00e1 will finance the project using its own cash flow, while SCPar Porto de S\u00e3o Francisco do Sul, the local port authority, will execute the project. Porto Itapo\u00e1 will ensure its earnings from access channel usage fees, plus interest.<\/p>\n

The proposal has been presented to the federal government, which must authorize the procedures. On June 10, Governor Jorginho Mello met with the Minister of Ports and Airports, Silvio Costa Filho, to discuss the model. Further discussions took place on Monday (22\/7) between representatives of the Santa Catarina government and the Ports Secretariat, but no final decision has been made yet.<\/p>\n

Beto Martins, the state Secretary of Railways, Ports, and Airports, explained that all ships entering the Babitonga Bay access channel pay a usage fee, regardless of destination. This fee goes to a single fund managed by SCPar Porto de S\u00e3o Francisco do Sul. This fund will be used to repay Porto Itapo\u00e1 under favorable terms.<\/p>\n

“The State guarantees that this unfolding project will be repaid using the port’s own fees, within a period that does not compromise the maintenance of the public port, and at an interest rate well below market rates,” said Martins, noting that the cost to the government will be closer to international market rates and lower than those currently available in Brazil.<\/p>\n

Viable Model<\/strong><\/p>\n

Cleverton Vieira, CEO of SCPar Porto de S\u00e3o Francisco do Sul, emphasized that under current conditions, the port authority cannot finance the project alone or secure financing from institutions like the National Bank of Economic and Social Development (BNDES). Hence, the importance of this public-private model.<\/p>\n

The Port of S\u00e3o Francisco do Sul<\/strong><\/a> is the largest in Santa Catarina and the seventh largest in Brazil in terms of cargo throughput. This year, it handled 7.3 million tonnes from January to May, a 16% increase compared to the same period in 2023. In May alone, it saw 1.4 million tonnes, a 22% increase from the previous year, with soybeans leading the exports at 790,000 tonnes.<\/p>\n

Porto Itapo\u00e1 has major international logistics operators Maersk and Hamburg S\u00fcd among its shareholders. Specializing in containers, Porto Itapo\u00e1 had the best first half of its history this year, with 597,338 TEUs (twenty-foot equivalent units), a 12% increase compared to the same period in 2023. Refrigerated cargo exports stood out with a 43% growth in the first six months of the year. In June, the port handled 109,889 TEUs, the best monthly result of the year.<\/p>\n

Please refer to the chart below to find out which were the top most exported products in containers for the Port of Itapo\u00e1. The information below was gathered with the aid of DataLiner, a Datamar-powered maritime intelligence tool.<\/p>\n

Itapo\u00e1 Port Top Container Exports | 2024 | TEUs<\/strong>
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