Yesterday, Easter Monday, 9 April, at 3 p.m. (local time) the Port of Rotterdam Authority, the state of Espirito Santo, the municipality of Presidente Kennedy and project developer Terminal Presidente Kennedy (TPK) signed an agreement in Vitória, Brazil for the development of Porto Central, a new port in Brazil.

The so-called ‘greenfield port’ still has to be built and will be located in the extreme south of Espirito Santo state, to the north of São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro. It will be an industrial port on deep sea water for handling oil, gas, offshore services, dry bulk and general cargo

The intention is that the first ship will sail into the new port in a few years’ time.

2012 and 2013 will be used for approaching the market and obtaining the necessary permits. In the first phase, a start will be made on the construction of a 1,000-hectare industrial port.

Joint venture

For the development of Porto Central, the Port Authority is entering into a cooperation agreement with TPK, a group of Brazilian business people with experience in the mining and offshore industries. The Port Authority’s main contribution will be its expertise and knowledge in the field of port management. This cooperation agreement will be converted into a joint venture once a number of essential conditions (such as permits and initial contracts with clients) have been met. Porto Central will be operated in accordance with the port of Rotterdam’s tried and tested landlord principle. The owner will develop the infrastructure and lease the land to the terminal operators and other port users, who will in turn invest in their own business-specific suprastructure.

Brazil

The Port Authority’s foreign policy is geared towards strategic joint ventures and new international participations, such as that realised in recent years in the port of Sohar, Oman. In 2010, the Port Authority was asked by the Brazilian government to review a comprehensive strategic study into remodelling the Brazilian port sector, which consists of 34 public ports along the 8,000-kilometre Brazilian coast. At the beginning of this year, the Port Authority opened a new office in São Paulo, Brazil. Together with the head office in Rotterdam, it will work intensively on the further development of Porto Central.