By PortalPortuario Editorial Staff
With the completion of another phase of the expansion and modernization works at Tecon Santos this month, Santos Brasil reached the mark of 2.9 million TEUs of annual capacity at the terminal located in the Port of Santos (SP). The delivery comes at a strategic moment for Brazilian foreign trade, on the eve of the second-half peak season, a period marked by increased imports to supply Black Friday and Christmas and by greater production of agricultural commodities.
The progress was made possible by the incorporation into the yard of a 4,000 m² area that housed the Company’s former administrative building, demolished in May. The adaptation works of the space, located in the central region of the terminal, added approximately 137 thousand TEUs (unit of measure equivalent to a 20-foot container) to its dynamic capacity.
The Tecon Santos expansion and modernization project began in 2019 and provides for investments of approximately R$ 3 billion and the delivery of 3 million /year of capacity. So far, more than R$ 2.5 billion have been employed.
For Charles Thibault, Director of Terminals at Santos Brasil, the investments reflect a long-term vision on the evolution of Brazilian foreign trade.
“Our commitment is to prepare the infrastructure before demand materializes, ensuring capacity for the Port of Santos, operational efficiency and premium service for our clients. That is what we have been doing and what allows Tecon Santos to account today for almost half of the port’s container handling capacity,” he states.
The construction of a new administrative headquarters, more modern and sustainable, begins in the fourth quarter of this year and should be ready by the end of 2027. The building will be located next to the landside gate, will have five floors, approximately 1,200 m² of built area and capacity to house up to 450 employees.
Also this month, remote operation began for five of the eight electric RTGs from ZPMC that arrived at the terminal at the beginning of the year, coming from China, along with two new ship-to-shore cranes.
The RTGs join the first eight electric units at Tecon Santos. They are state-of-the-art equipment that enables remote operation, initiated at the terminal at the end of 2024 in a pioneering manner in the country, providing more safety and ergonomics for operators.
Another 30 electric RTGs will be acquired in the coming years to replace conventional ones. With the complete fleet renewal, the terminal will stop releasing 713 tons of CO2 per month into the atmosphere, achieving a 97% reduction in emissions generated by these diesel-powered equipment. The new ship-to-shore cranes, already in manual operation, will also be the first in Brazil to operate remotely.
