Santos Brasil to invest R$ 37 million in Tecon Vila do Conde

Santos Brasil today signed an addendum to the contract of the Vila do Conde Container Terminal located in the city of Barcarena in Pará State (96 km from the state capital Belém), which provides for an early extension of the term of the lease for an additional 15 years.

In consideration, the company will invest R$ 37.24 million in expanding and modernizing the terminal over the next two years, totaling R$ 129.04 invested by 2033. The project will expand Tecon Vila do Conde´s capacity to 163 thousand TEU/year.

The new investments are essential for the terminal to meet the growing demand for containerized cargo handling and storage at the port of Vila do Conde. They will also ensure increased operational efficiency and continued quality in the provided services.

Since 2008, when it acquired the company leasing the terminal, Santos Brasil has already invested more than R$ 133,8 million at current value in Vila do Conde for expanding and improving its facilities, optimizing operations, training the workforce, and acquiring technology and equipment.

Tecon Vila do Conde has shown strong growth. It is strategically located on the Amazon River Delta, in a region with a great waterway capillarity and located close to major international sea routes, with access to all continents directly or through transshipment in Caribbean ports. In the first nine months of 2017, the terminal handled 55,843 thousand containers, 20% more than the in same period in 2016. New shipping routes to Europe and the Caribbean, as well as the development of container transportation in barges and inter-modality - goods transported seamlessly over waterways, roads and railways - have driven that growth.

Santos Brasil´s new investments in the terminal are mainly intended for construction work for adjusting the yard and purchasing equipment. For the yard, the project provides for expanding the paved area and improving the drainage system; building a new entrance and exit gate; lighting; container blocks; platforms for reefer containers; electrical substations; and signaling. The project focuses on improving internal circulation, increasing efficiency, and expanding the storage area.

The equipment that will be incorporated includes: 1 Mobile Harbor Crane (MHC); 3 Reach Stackers for yard operations; 5 small forklifts for warehouse operations; 2 empty container forklifts for yard operations; 6 tractor trucks; 9 semi-trailers; and 1 fixed scanner.

The construction work is scheduled to begin in 2018, and will be concluded by 2019. It will done in stages and will have no direct impact on the terminal¿s daily operations.

For Santos Brasil President Antonio Carlos Sepúlveda, condition improvements in the access to Vila do Conde, especially the Tocantins River waterway, the port´s connection to the North-South Railway and the conclusion of the BR-163 highway tend to emphasize the importance of the Vila do Conde port as an inducer of the Pará State´s economy. "With the new investments, we will be able to efficiently meet the increase in demand, adding competitiveness to our customers, and stimulating regional development", he said.