Brazils private operators face tender threat
The Audit Commission of the Brazilian government has asked for four of the country’s private container terminal operators to demonstrate within 90 days that they are handling a balance of their own cargo and that of third parties.
If they aren’t able to do this, their terminals will be offered as open tenders.
Those affected are: Cotegipe, Portonave, Itapoá and Embraport.
According to the Commission’s Department of Privatisation and Regulatory Authority (SEFID), the four operators were granted concessions as effectively private terminals, but mainly handle third-party cargo rather than their own, effectively being public terminals. This type of operation is only permitted following an open tender.
The operators, which were given their operating licence by the National Waterways Transport Agency (Antaq), have already invested $1.8bn.
The President of the Brazilian Association of Port Terminals (ABTP), Manteli Wilen, suggests that if this measure is approved by the Audit Commission’s management board, the whole concept of private terminals per se will have to be seriously revisited.
How, he asks, will it be possible to offer a tender, if the owner of the land is also the concessionaire?
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