Federal government foresees bidding for dredging in Paranaguá until July

The tender for dredging to deepen the Canal da Galheta, which gives access to the port of Paranaguá, is expected to come out in the first half of this year, according to the Special Secretariat for Ports of the Presidency of the Republic (SEP). For the process to start, the agency is only waiting for the issuance of the installation license for the work, which must be done by Ibama by July. The investment, estimated at R$ 146 million, should top the list of works planned for the port this year.

Exchange of shiploaders should happen by April

The concentration of the deepening dredging auction does not stifle the other investments announced for the Port of Paranaguá in 2014. At least R$ 70 million in new undertakings are foreseen by the administration of the ports of Paraná. One of the main works is the replacement of the four shiploaders, responsible for loading the ships, which should be completed by April of this year.

Among the other planned investments are works on technical ducts and lighting in the port areas (R$ 22 million), datacenter renovation (R$ 4,2 million) and expansion of the monitoring and access control system (R$ 31,8. XNUMX million).

Dredging has been awaited for years by Paranaguá. Currently, the depth of the channel that gives access to the berths varies from six to 15 meters in some sections. With the work, the entire route will be 16 meters deep and the evolution basin will be 14 meters long.

At the beginning of last year, the Administration of the Ports of Paranaguá and Antonina (Appa) expected that the bidding for the work would come out in 2013. However, the investment was the only one that did not get off the ground.

With the new Ports Law, approved in June, the process was concentrated in the federal government secretariat. According to the SEP, the delay was not due to the new rule and the dredging project is already in the preparation phase of the public notice and term of reference for contracting the execution of the work.

The port's local administration also guarantees that it is carrying out some studies so that the new deadline is respected. “As far as we are concerned, we are forwarding the studies of the indigenous component and maritime archeology”, explains Appa's superintendent, Luiz Henrique Dividino.

For later

However, even if the bureaucratic procedure begins to unfold in July, the excavation would only start, in practice, next year, with conclusion scheduled for 2016. “Such a work is quite complex and the bidding process like this lasts at least six months”, says Dividino.

According to the Environmental Impact Study (EIA) – which has been registered with Ibama since 2009 –, the removal of more than eight million cubic meters of sediment should take another twelve months.

Pendencias

According to Ibama records, however, the agency is still waiting for some studies to be adapted so that the definitive license is granted. The last document of the process, published in October last year, lists some pending issues in the project's Basic Environmental Plan.

Among the requirements requested by the institute are the detailing of the technical characteristics of the dredgers that will be used in the work and more information on compensatory programs.

According to Appa's superintendent, the conditions are being met. “We are a reference in some environmental measures and the whole process is underway”, says Dividino.

Competitor, Port of Itapoá wants to quadruple its operation

About 80 kilometers away from Paranaguá, the Port of Itapoá announced R$ 500 million in investments until 2015. According to estimates by the private terminal itself, the intention is to expand the handling capacity to 2 million TEUs (standard unit of 20 feet) per year – today the port estimates that the movement is 500 thousand TEUs.

The three groups of shareholders that own the terminal have yet to finalize the project, which includes a 450-square-meter yard and a 1,2-meter berth.

The request for the expansion of Itapoá was filed at Antaq (National Waterway Transport Agency) at the end of last year and Ibama has already authorized the work.

The start of expansion is scheduled for the second half of this year, but it still depends on a formula for raising funds.

The initiative, however, should not remove cargo from the Container Terminal of Paranaguá (TCP). After an expansion work completed in 2013, the terminal in Paraná increased its handling capacity to 1,5 million TEUs per year.

Source: Gazeta do Povo (PR)/ Pedro Brodbeck