Brasil Terminal Portuário (BTP) was officially opened yesterday with a gala celebration held at the new 1.2 million TEU annual capacity facility at the Port of Santos, featuring Brazilian Minister of Seaports, Antonio Henrique Silveira and 500 invited guests and media representatives.
Development of the multi-purpose terminal project in South America’s busiest container port began in 2007, with APM Terminals acquiring a 50% share from Terminal Investment Limited (TIL) in 2010. The terminal represents an investment of over USD 1 billion by APM Terminals, and is operating as a joint venture with the current concession spanning 20 years.
“ We appreciate the efforts of President Rousseff’s administration to support BTP’s role in shaping Brazil’s economic future and we look forward to seeing the government complete both the local access road and access channel dredging. Once finalized, these initiatives will help create the essential port and landside infrastructure necessary for Brazil to reach its ambitions. Working together with our partner – TIL- whose vision and dedication have built the port and made it an incredible environmental success –APM Terminals will work hard to deliver high productivity to shipping lines, importers, exporters and truckers ”, stated APM Terminals CEO Kim Fejfer who participated in the terminal inauguration event.
Although fully equipped and operational since March, commercial operations at BTP could not commence until the terminal was issued International Ship and Port Facility Security (ISPS) Certification in April, and granted an operating license from the Brazilian Institute of Environmental and Renewable Natural resources in July. The first commercial vessel call took place August 14th, and with scheduled dredging having been completed in October, BTP has become fully operational with 1,108 meters of quay and a 15 meter depth, capable of serving three x 9,200 TEU capacity vessel calls simultaneously.
The 490,000 square meter (121 acre) terminal is equipped with eight Ship-to-Shore cranes, 26 RTGs, 40 terminal trucks, and an automated 18 lane gate. Constructed on a remediated brownfield industrial site to the highest standards of environmentally sustainable operations, BTP is the only terminal in the region that has a dedicated parking area for truckers, removing the vehicles from city roads, and improving air quality by significantly reducing diesel emissions resulting from traffic congestion.
APM Terminals handled 528,000 TEUs at existing Brazilian operating terminals at the Ports of Itajai and Pecém in 2012, and has been active in port operations locally since 2007. The company also maintains a business development office in Sao Paulo, as well as local Brazilian Inland Services operations in Santos, Itajai, Paranagua, Rio Grande and Itapoa. With the opening of BTP, APM Terminals-affiliated port facilities offer a combined annual Brazilian container throughput capacity of 2.25 million TEUs.
The Port of Santos, the busiest container port in South America, handled 3 million TEUs in 2012, with total Brazilian container throughput of 8.3 million TEUs for the year. At USD $2.39 trillion, Brazil’s economy is the largest in Latin America, and the 7th-largest globally by Purchasing Power Parity (PPP) calculation. The Brazilian government has announced plans for USD $26 billion investment in much needed infrastructure between 2012 and 2017 to accommodate projected economic and trade growth.
“APM Terminals has now arrived in Santos, but we are not new arrivals to Brazil” noted Mr. Fejfer, adding “With a positive business environment, and the commitment of our local and global partners, we plan to continue to grow here in Brazil, and become an even bigger part of Brazil’s ongoing infrastructure investment, economic growth, and success”.
[mappress]
Press Release, November 29, 2013