Santos to enlarge structure for passengers
Valor Econômico
The São Paulo State Port Company (Codesp) intends to release the public bidding for the new infrastructure of the port of Santos for cruise ships within up to one month. The project that integrates the PAC Copa (World Cup Growth Acceleration Program) is budgeted at R$ 352 million (US$ 220 million), an increase of 193% on the initial value. According to the Director of Infrastructure and Execution of Services of the State Company, Paulino Moreira Vicente, the studies have shown the works of recovery of the pier was more complex than originally imagined. The initial value took into account neither the geological surveys on land and sea, nor the foundations on bedrock. The new value demanded relocation of investments of PAC 2, but without prejudice to the other works, says the Executive. Should everything go as scheduled, the work should begin next November and take 26 months. The perspective is that 600 direct jobs be generated during the construction.
The project foresees the alignment and the readjustment of the pier of Outeirinhos, with the execution of 1.320 meters of wharf between warehouses 23 and 29. The new infrastructure will increase in nearly four times the depth of the region, which will have 15 meters, allowing the mooring of up to six ships. Today some areas in Outeirinhos are 4.5 meters deep, which makes it difficult for the logistics operation of cruise ships that are required to dock away from the passenger terminal.
The new structure will create conditions for the port to offer 15.4 thousand floating rooms, an option for hotels during the 2014 FIFA World Cup, believes Vicente. For him, the cities of the region, such as Guarujá, have conditions to receive "between one and two teams". But the project is viable all over the world, says the Director. "With new 15-meter-deep berths, we will have an additional gain for the handling of cargo". The cruise season is not on all year around. It happens between the end of the year and the end of the first quarter. In the last transatlantic season, Santos received 1.1 million passengers in 284 calls, growth of 30% compared to the previous season. With the work of Outeirinhos, it is estimated that the port may receive up to 2.5 million passengers per season.
The services are divided into two stages to prevent risks of disruption of the normal flow of operations at the port. The Ibama (Brazilian Institute for Environment and Natural Renewable Resources) considered the undertaking as of low-impact, releasing it from the elaboration of the EIA-Rima (Environmental Impact Assessment / Environmental Impact Report). According to Vicente, the licensing is subject to the environmental regularization of the port, which should be filed next month.