Brazil’s ports minister Pedro Brito has signed a document stipulating the regulations for the country’s new port concessions model.

“An official announcement will be published in the official gazette Diario Oficial da União this week,” Brito said.

The document regulates legislation passed in a decree signed in 2008, as well as contracts signed before a previous 1993 decree.

Under the new regulations, only companies that handle their own cargo will be given authorization to build port terminals. If port activity is slow, the company will be allowed to handle third-party merchandise, as long as it is the same type of cargo.

Firms that want to build ports to handle cargo without restrictions will have to pass through a concession process. Concessions will have 25-year terms, extendible for further 25 years.

The regulations also include the incorporation of inland water transport, as the development of waterways goes hand in hand with marine ports, Brito said.

The document also addresses issues such as the setting up of logistics platforms and warehouses, as well as defining the responsibilities of the special ports department (SEP) and waterways regulator Antaq.

“The issue [of port development] is not just a matter of infrastructure projects; it also involves a better management structure,” said the minister.

On the flip side, sector experts have said the regulations will restrict the construction of ports and that the government is not doing enough to boost the sector.

Brito was speaking at the 16th Intermodal South American conference being held in São Paulo from April 6-8.

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