Big plans move forward at Santos

Santos port authority, Codesp, is lobbying for the 50-berth Barnabe-Bagres project to go ahead, possibly in the form of a public-private partnership. The price tag is estimated at $654m of which just $40m is currently allocated by the state although the national parliament could provide more money as part of its next budget statement. A Mitsubishi-Mitsui consortium has already indicated an interest in the scheme as have numerous Spanish and South African companies.