Port of Antwerp, through its subsidiary Port of Antwerp International (PAI), will invest 10 million USD in Porto do Açu, a privately owned port complex in São João da Barra, in the northern part of Rio de Janeiro State, in Brazil.
The port sees Brazil as a very important maritime trading partner, as the it is the largest economy of Latin America and more than 6.4 million tonnes of freight are exchanged on an annual basis between the country and the port of Antwerp. This places Brazil on the 6th place as a trading partner.
As it is is located in the industrial heart of Brazil, the Port of Açu is ideally positioned to serve the European, US and Asian market. PAI chose for Porto do Açu, amongst others, because of its strategic location near oil and gas fields and the proximity to Minas Gerais, the gateway to Brazil.
The construction of the port complex started in 2007 and the first operations started in 2014. Port of Açu has a surface of 130 km² of which 40 km² is natural reserve. The port has potential to operate 17 km of dock with a maximum depth of 25m. It has the capacity to receive very large vessels such as Capesizes and VLCCs.
For this investment Port of Antwerp International will receive 1,176% of the share capital. PAI has the option to invest additionally after 18 months at its sole discretion and it will also provide consultancy services.