ByRedaçãoPortalPortuario
The National Bank for Economic and Social Development (BNDES) has approved financing of R$ 848 million to expand and modernize the container terminal at the Port of Salvador, operated by Tecon Salvador, a subsidiary of Wilson Sons. The resources are from the Merchant Marine Fund (FMM). The project was authorized in 2024, during the 56th ordinary meeting of the Fund’s Board of Directors (CDFMM), linked to the Ministry of Ports and Airports (MPor).
The financing will allow for the expansion of the storage yard, the acquisition of new equipment, and the execution of infrastructure works and technological modernization, reinforcing the efficiency and sustainability of port operations. With the improvements, the terminal will have double the handling capacity, increasing from the current 553,000 to over 1 million TEUs per year (a unit equivalent to a standard container). The number of cargo movements at the dock is also expected to increase, jumping from 70 to over 100 containers per hour.
The investments consolidate the Port of Salvador as one of the main container terminals in the Northeast, with a direct impact on job and income generation in Bahia and on strengthening the competitiveness of Brazilian foreign trade.
According to the president of BNDES, Aloizio Mercadante, “the expansion of the Salvador terminal will help reduce logistical bottlenecks, strengthen commercial integration between states in the Northeast, Central-West and parts of the Southeast and North regions, especially Bahia, Minas Gerais, Goiás and Tocantins, and foreign markets, in addition to increasing the competitiveness of national exports.”
The enterprise also reinforces the strategic role of the federal government, through MPor, in coordinating policies that connect regional development, port modernization, and environmental sustainability.
Merchant Marine Fund
The Tecon Salvador project was prioritized by the FMM Board of Directors in 2024, which guaranteed the company the right to seek financing from BNDES (an institution accredited to the fund). After proper technical and financial analysis of the project’s conditions, the bank approved the credit operation in 2025.
This sequence, prioritization and contracting of financing, is an essential stage of the FMM’s policy to promote the naval and port industry. While prioritization is an act of technical and strategic recognition, approval by the financial institution represents the effective start of the investment’s execution, with the release of the planned resources.
The Merchant Marine Fund is a financial instrument managed by the Ministry of Ports and Airports (MPor) and operated by public banks, such as BNDES. Its purpose is to finance the construction, modernization, expansion, and repair of Brazilian vessels and shipyards, in addition to logistical and port projects that boost waterway transport in the country.
