Following a period of uncertainty, APM Terminals (APMT) and the Municipality of Itajaí have signed a Transitory Lease Agreement for the Port of Itajaí, allowing the terminal operator to continue to operate as the lessee of the port in 2023.
Negotiations between the Port Authority and APMT resumed in November, when the Superintendence of the Port (SPI) decided not to proceed with a transitional public notice, which had been agreed in August, but to resume talks with the current lessee.
A statement from APMT noted: “With this decision, APMT, which has always been open to dialogue, together with local and federal authorities, was finally able to find alternatives to avoid the port’s shutdown.”
Before this agreement was made, APMT was due to end its activities at the port when its lease expires at the end of 2022.
CTIL Logistica was expected to take over running the container terminal on a six month contract, with the option to renew it for up to a maximum of two years, or until the privatisation of the port occurred.
However, Brazil’s National Waterway Transport Agency (Antaq) halted the process, demanding sufficient evidence that the Rio Grande-based company had enough experience equipment and the commercial capacity to attract and or maintain current container customers.
In addition, the privatisation process is highly unlikely to continue, following the victory of Lula in the country’s election over incumbent Jair Bolsonaro.
