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International Relationships

by Janaina Ramalho — published May 07, 2014 06:21 PM, last modified May 12, 2014 11:41 AM

Since its creation in 2007, the Presidency Secretariat for Ports (SEP/PR) has formed a series of partnerships, memorandums of understandings and intentional protocols with other countries involving several areas from the development of technical studies to improve port logistics to the training of port workers.

Below, a summary of the main agreements that have been established for studies developed by international consulting companies in partnership with national companies can be found:

Port of Santos Master Plan
In 2009, the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) financed the elaboration of the Port of Santos Master Plan. At the time, the study was made to estimate the future cargo handling demand in the following three different scenarios: “pessimistic”, “basis” and “optimistic”.

The data demonstrates, for instance, that the cargo handling in the Port of Santos is, nowadays, represents the optimistic scenario, handling in 2013, around 3.1 million TEUs per year. The same scenario indicates that the port will handle 9 million TEUs per year in the next 12 years.

According to this hypothesis, the total cargo handled by the port of Santos In 2025 will reach 240 million tons, compared to the 110 million tons currently handled.

- Final Report – Master Plan – IDB (In Portuguese)

Logistics support
The Spanish and German governments made grants to SEP/PR for studies related to the construction of a Maritime Cluster (Zona de Atividade Logística – ZAL) in the Port of Santos.

Maritime Clusters are present worldwide and they are large areas with all necessary logistic and port infrastructure.

This infrastructure is shared by service agglomerates (productive local arrangement) of several enterprises specialized in basic logistic activities (handling, storage and transportation) and value-added activities (identification, inspection, quality control, packing, among others).

This infrastructure also includes companies that perform complementary services (rent and selling of equipments, maintenance, agents, dispatchers) and support services (security, technology services, accountancy, freight bookies, gas stations, restaurants, resting areas, parking, communication, personal and health services).

SEP/PR’s intention is to build a ZAL in the area around Port of Santos, to improve truck traffic and to reduce the city congestion. Around 98% of all containers arrive to the port by truck, creating traffic congestion and causing conflicts in city-port relationship.

The study financed by the German Government, through the KFW (German Development Bank), involved not only the establishment of an area to provide logistic support, but also the analysis of the problems related to the construction of a new railway connection.

These studies have already been concluded and they indicate that the creation of Logistic Platforms or Maritime Clusters around the Brazilian ports will improve cargo transportation, customs clearance, road access, as well as railway and waterway access, whenever available.

- Logistics Activities Zone - LAZ - Port of Santos (In Portuguese)
- Duisport Consult Report (In English)

Information Technology
Two grant agreements were signed between SEP/PR and USTDA (United States Trade and Development Agency) for the development of the following studies:

(i) Project for Intelligent Cargo and Port Logistic Chain, designed to allow the definition and evaluation of processes and technologies in order to implement the so called “Integrated Control of the Logistic chain through Electronic midia” (CICLOPE); and

(ii) Implementation of the Vessel Traffic Management Information System (VTMIS), seeking to produce specific technical information necessary to orientate SEP/PR on the acquisition and installation of this system.

Short Sea Shipping

Based on a grant agreement signed with the World Bank, SEP/PR is preparing a study to identify the bottlenecks of Short Sea Shipping (also known as cabotage) navigation in Brazil. SEP/PR’s intention is to take the results of the study to be evaluated by the National Council for Transportation Infrastructure – CONIT, seeking higher efficiency and cost reduction of cabotage transportation, and consequently, reducing Brazilian traffic congestion.

Right now, the company that will be responsible for elaborating the study is being chosen and the final report will be available in this website as soon as it is finished. (Forecast: August, 2014)

Training for Managers and Temporary Port Workers – TPAs
SEP/PR and Antwerp/Flanders Port Training Centre (APEC), signed in the Belgian Embassy, in September 11, 2013, a Technical Cooperation Agreement, seeking to provide training for Brazilian port workers, including the office workers and temporary port workers. The goal is to offer courses about management, infrastructure and port engineering works, in addition to the usage and handling of port equipment.

As a first step, the training will be given to port workers connected to Federal Government offices related to Ports (SEP/PR, ANTAQ, dock companies and other offices), as well as leasing companies of statutory ports.

This training will be given by Belgian professors from APEC who will come to Brazil to disseminate the world’s best practices in the port sector.

The training of office workers will be organized through short term seminars with a duration of five days. The speeches will be delivered in English.

The second phase of the program will include the training of Brazilian teachers selected by SEP/PR. The training will be given at Antwerp/Flanders Port Training Centre.

These teachers, upon their arrival, will train the temporary port workers mostly on simulators to handle containers.

The first seminar to train the port administrators is scheduled to take place in March, 2014, in the facilities of the Port of Santos.

Other Memorandum of Understandings and intention protocols
Besides the agreements related to several studies and the training of managers and port workers as said above, SEP/PR has also signed a series of Memorandum of Understandings and Intention Protocols seeking to strengthen the cooperation on the ports and logistics.

These documents refered above can be found below:

20/11/2013 - SEP/PR and the Maritime Authority of Panama
(In Spanish)

10/04/2012 - SEP/PR the Ministry of Infrastructure and the Environment of the Netherlands
(In English)

10/04/2012 - SEP/PR and the Ministry of Infrastructure and the Environment of the Netherlands
(In Portuguese)

26/05/2011 - SEP/PR and the Ministry of Infrastructure of Italy
(In Portuguese)

26/05/2011 - SEP/PR and the Ministry of Infrastructure Transport of Italy
(In Italian)

31/03/2011 – SEP/PR and MFT, Construction and Urban Development of Germany
(In German)

31/03/2011 – SEP/PR and MFT, Construction and Urban Development of Germany
(In português)

20/10/2010 – SEP/PR and MFT, Construction and Urban Development of Germany
(In German)

20/10/2010 – SEP/PR and MFT, Construction and Urban Development of Germany
(In Portuguese)

30/09/2010 – SEP/PR, INPH and MFT, Construction and Urban Development of Germany
(In English)

20/05/2010 – SEP/PR and the Port of Antwerp
(In English)

20/05/2010 – SEP/PR and the Port of Antwerp
(In Portuguese)

07/05/2010 – SEP/PR and the Ministry of Transport of Latvia
(In English)