The Brazilian government is reportedly preparing to licence 45 ports to operators, as part of a plan to improve the country’s transport infrastructure in order to boost competitiveness and reduce costs.
According to a report by MercoPress, the rights to build and operate a new port terminal in the Amazon city of Manaus will be auctioned first, following authorization from the country’s Ports Minister Tiago Lima.
Most of the 45 ports to be auctioned are located in Brazil’s industrial and agricultural powerhouse in the south and south-east regions, with only seven located in the north or northeast, Minister Lima said.
Brazil handed many port services over to private operators in the 1990s, but the ports themselves are administrated by a government body.
This latest move comes on the back of the process of handing over Brazilian airports to private investment.
