Brazil''s President Dilma wants to see "an investment explosion" in the ports sector, where an estimated $26bn of state and private funding is earmarked.
Neither road nor rail links are currently sufficient to handle growing import-export traffic; new initiatives aim to remove many of the existing bottlenecks in the system, thereby improving overall efficiency.
One of the key changes is the abandonment of a regulation that specified private terminals had to generate the majority of their own cargo; in future they will be able to operate as common user facilities.
In related news, President Dilma has insisted that the new ports law introduced by the government will ensure that bids for all new ports and terminals will be based around the lowest cost put forward across a range of fees. The president rejected an alternative proposal based around the highest level of grants.
In effect, a bidder offering the lowest fees will be awarded a concession.
In addition, the law will make possible the construction of two new ports: at Manaus and at Ilhéus, both of which have already been granted environmental permits. Furthermore, the port of Imbituba will also be auctioned.
