Brazil's special ports department (SEP) is launching tenders for port terminal concessions in the states of São Paulo and Pará valued at R$5.4 billion (US$2.25 billion) by March.

The first package includes R$3.7 billion (US$1.55 billion) investments in  20 areas throughout the ports of Belém, Santarém, Vila do Conde, Outeiro and Miramar in the northeastern state of Pará, and the second package includes R$1.7 billion (US$0.7 billion) investments in nine areas in São Paulo state.

These first part of the port concession program was blocked by the federal audit court TCU, which insisted that the government and SEP should make 19 changes to the original tender documents. They have accepted 15 changes and appealed other four recommendations. SEP is expecting a court response by the end of February.

Antonio Henrique Pinheiro Silveira, the Brazilian Special Ports Minister, stated:

Without doubt, we still have all the possibilities to initiate the tender processes in the first half of this year. Once we have resolved the final issues, we will immediately publish the tender details for the first block.

As for block two, a second public consultancy phase is expected to start on February 25. After TCU approval, the tender process for block two will be launched, which may occur in this first half of the year.