The Canal Galheta Dragagem Consortium (CCGD) won the auction for the concession of the access channel to the Port of Paranaguá (PR), held this afternoon (22) on B3, the São Paulo stock exchange. The Minister of Ports and Airports, Silvio Costa Filho, and the governor of Paraná, Ratinho Júnior, were in São Paulo to monitor the auction.
The company offered a 12.63% discount on the reference rate for the auction, the maximum stipulated value. After a dispute. hands-free. Out of 18 bids, the consortium won with an offer of R$276 million, beating three competitors. The discount on the reference rate was one of the criteria to determine the winning proposal. The bidding model provided for the hybrid, which included competition for the highest grant (fixed amount paid to the government) and the lowest tariff value to be charged to users.
The biggest dispute in the auction, which considered the grant value, occurred between the auction winner and the Chinese China Harbor Engineering Company (CHEC) Dredging.
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Dispute
The auction began with the reference tariff discount, with a maximum value set at 12.63%. DTA Engenharia offered a reference rate discount of 1.29%; Jan de Nul offered 0.34%; Chec Dredging offered 10.30%; and the Canal Galheta Dragagem Consortium (CCGD) offered 10.73%;
As more than one competitor participated in this stage of the auction, the bids were taken to the open outcry. The top three placed were able to participate in the open outcry, but Jan de Nul, who made the lowest bid, was left out. DTA Engenharia, in turn, decided not to bid over the open outcry, leaving the dispute between Chec Dredging and Consórcio Canal Galheta Dragagem, which offered the same maximum value in dispute: 12.63%.
As there was a tie in the first stage, the auction began to evaluate the grant value, which was also led to an open outcry dispute. After 18 bids, the auction ended up being won by the Canal Galheta Dragagem Consortium, which offered R$276 million as the grant value.
The concession
The concession of waterway access to the Port of Paranaguá (PR), carried out by the National Waterway Transport Agency (Antaq), represents an unprecedented milestone for the national port sector, as it is the first Brazilian access channel to be auctioned. The concession is for a period of 25 years, with the possibility of contract extension for up to 70 years.
According to the government of Paraná, the auction is an unprecedented initiative in Brazil, as it is the first port access channel to be leased in the country, in addition to being innovative, as the responsibility for dredging, which currently belongs to the public port, will now fall to the lessee, that is, the concessionaire that takes on the contract will be responsible for expanding the depth of the channel.
This was the first tender of its kind in the world, according to the ministry, and expects to pass on to the concessionaire services currently carried out by the Portos do Paraná Port Authority, such as dredging, signaling, bathymetry and monitoring of vessels during loading and unloading operations. The auction should serve as a model for the concessions of the ports of Santos (SP), Itajaí (SC), Salvador (BA) and Rio Grande (RS).
For the auction, competing companies had to present discounts on the Inframar fee, paid by ships to access ports. The fee covers the costs of dredging necessary to ensure safe maneuvering of ships. Currently, this maintenance is carried out by the Port Authority, but, with the auction, it will be transferred to the winning company.
The winner of the Port of Paranaguá auction will have to invest R$1.22 billion in the first five years of the concession, paying a fixed annual grant of R$86 million over 25 years. One of the obligations is to increase the depth of the channel and ensure that the port goes from the current 13.5 to 15.5 meters of draft[whichisthedistancebetweenthedeepestpointofthevesselandthewatersurface)Thisshouldenabletheoperationoflargecontainershipsupto366metersandbulkcarrierswithacapacityof120thousandtons[queéadistânciaentreopontomaisprofundodaembarcaçãoeasuperfíciedaágua)Issodeverápossibilitaraoperaçãodenaviosdecontêineresdegrandeportedeaté366metrosedegraneleiroscomcapacidadepara120miltoneladas
“Two meters of draft represents, on average, a thousand more containers on the ship or 14 thousand more tons of some product on a vessel, without the user paying more for it. Depending on the result of the auction, we will even have a lower price than what is paid today”, explained the director-president of Portos do Paraná, Luiz Fernando Garcia, in a note.
Today, the Port of Paranaguá receives 2,600 ships per year, with emphasis on solid bulk, such as soy and animal protein. According to Antaq, the Port of Paranaguá was the second public port facility that handled the most cargo in the first half of 2025. There were 30.9 million tons in the period, a growth of 2.6% compared to the first six months of last year.
The channel
Located south of Ilha do Mel, the Access Channel, part of which is known as Canal da Galheta, has been the main waterway access to the port and terminals of Paranaguá Bay since the 1970s, when the demand for larger ships required the dredging of Banco da Galheta and the consequent creation of the channel.
Other auctions
Earlier, the minister participated in other two port auctions: one in Rio de Janeiro and another in Maceió (AL). Terminal RDJ07 is intended for the movement of logistical support cargo offshorefocused on oil and natural gas exploration and production activities. The investment planned for the 25-year contractual period is estimated at R$99.4 million.
The Maceió TMP is a passenger terminal and should boost cruise tourism in the Northeast. The auction will allow for the modernization and expansion of the port and will involve investments estimated at R$3.75 million over a 25-year contract.
