São Paulo governor wants Santos privatised

Mr Doria, who is a strong supporter of privatisation, noted that Santos is currently administered by Codesp, which reports to the federal government, effectively removing local level decision-making.

He said that a transfer away from central government administration could take place in two stages. Initially, control would be transferred to the state government, which would subsequently organise Santos’ privatisation.

Mr Doria would like Santos to reflect the best of modern Asian ports, with Singapore seen as the international benchmark in terms of quality, efficiency and low cost.

Nevertheless, local commentators do not believe privatisation is necessary, pointing out that Santos’ high cost and inefficiency are due mainly to access infrastructure problems, which includes maritime, as well as road and rail.