Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva has been invited to a dinner hosted by ICTSI chief executive Enrique Razon Jr. during his state visit to the Philippines, where Brazil’s plans to expand the Port of Santos may be discussed. (Foto: Instagram)
Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva was invited to a dinner hosted by Enrique Razon Jr., chief executive of port operator International Container Terminal Services Inc. (ICTSI), during Lula’s state visit to the Philippines. Razon is interested in Brazil’s plans to expand the Port of Santos, and the proposed dinner is drawing attention as a possible opportunity to discuss a major terminal project.
The dinner is scheduled for the evening of Nov. 14, at the end of Lula’s state visit and the night before his planned participation in the ASEAN Summit. Brazilian and Filipino business leaders have also been invited. Lula’s attendance has not been confirmed; people familiar with his schedule said it depends on whether the event can be fitted into his agenda.
Razon was identified as the Philippines’ richest person in a Forbes ranking published in August. His estimated net worth is $21 billion, or approximately 115.7 billion Brazilian reais, according to the figures cited in the report. He has been seeking an opportunity to meet Lula to discuss Tecon 10, a planned auction for a new container megaterminal intended to increase capacity at Santos. Other major port companies, including Denmark’s Maersk and MSC, which is linked to a European business group, are also interested in the bidding.
ICTSI already operates in Brazil, including Rio Brasil Terminal and facilities at the Port of Suape in Pernambuco, but is seeking to expand further. Santos is Brazil’s main port and one of the most important in Latin America. The proposed Tecon Santos 10 auction has faced disagreements over how the bidding should be structured, and its publication has been delayed. It had originally been expected in 2025.
The National Waterway Transportation Agency developed an initial model that would restrict participation by companies that already own terminals in Santos. Maersk and MSC are partners in Brasil Terminal Portuário, which operates a terminal there. Under the proposed arrangement, the companies notified the Administrative Council for Economic Defense that they could participate if, should one win the Tecon 10 auction, the other sold its stake in Brasil Terminal Portuário. ICTSI opposes that approach and has also raised the proposal with the council.
The Federal Court of Accounts is now discussing the auction’s structure, according to an unnamed source at the court. The source said the matter would return to the court for review of the bidding notice once the model is decided. The structure has become a point of contention among interested companies and within the federal government. Lula is reported to have called for an open auction without restrictions on incumbent operators, a position that differs from the views of the waterway agency and the Ministry of Ports and Airports.
Lula is in Antalya, Turkey, from Nov. 10 to 12, with the COP31 climate conference as the main purpose of that leg of his trip. He is also scheduled to attend events on forests and civil society participation. After Turkey, he will make a state visit to the Philippines and attend the 49th ASEAN Summit, with the visit aimed at strengthening commercial ties. His Philippine schedule also includes a business forum involving at least 113 Brazilian companies from various sectors, as well as Filipino businesses.
