The Santos Port Authority (APS) has signed a BRL 617.9 million ($122.3 million) contract with Jan de Nul do Brasil (part of the Jan De Nul Group) to deepen the navigation channel at the Port of Santos from 15 to 16 meters.
The five-year dredging program, which also includes two years of maintenance dredging, aims to accommodate the larger draught requirements of modern container vessels and expand the port complex’s cargo capacity, according to APS.
Commenting the news, APS President, Anderson Pomini , said: “ This is an investment of almost 620 million reais, which fulfills the expansion plan for the Port of Santos, so that the most modern fleet of cargo ships in the world can access the terminals without difficulty, increasing productivity and reducing costs.”
The deepening is the first major channel upgrade at Latin America’s largest port in 14 years. The previous dredging campaign brought the channel to its current 15 meter depth.