The Santos Port Authority (APS) has authorised the start of the project to deepen the navigation channel of the Port of Santos, Brazil, from 15 meters to 16 meters.
Back in June, it was announced that Jan de Nul do Brasil (part of the Jan De Nul Group) won the USD 122.3 million contract to deepen the channel.
The contract award was suspended on 16 June after DTA Engenharia, another bidder in the tender, issued a legal challenge, alleging that Jan De Nul’s bid may have been too low and not economically viable.
Jan De Nul and APS appealed the injunction, which was ultimately overturned on 15 July, allowing for the project to proceed.
With the issuance of the work order by APS, Jan de Nul began the environmental impact studies necessary to obtain the environmental license for the project from IBAMA (Brazilian Institute of Environment and Renewable Natural Resources). The expected timeframe for the completion of this first phase is up to 21 months.
The five-year canal deepening project includes the stages of environmental licensing of the undertaking; preparation of the Basic and Executive Projects; execution of the deepening dredging; and execution of maintenance dredging of the new clearance for a period of up to two years.
The project aims to allow the port to accommodate the larger draught requirements of modern container vessels and expand the port complex’s cargo capacity, according to APS.