TCU approves MUC04 terminal tender at Port of Fortaleza

Brazil's Federal Court of Accounts (TCU) approved the draft tender model for the MUC04, the new container terminal at the Port of Fortaleza (Ceará). This project marks the resumption, after two decades, of the tender for a new terminal of this type in the country. The infrastructure will be dedicated to the movement of fruits and other agribusiness products.

The company awarded the tender will have a contractual period of 25 years to make investments of approximately R$ 429 million (USD 83.7 million) in the terminal's infrastructure. Currently, container operations at the Port of Fortaleza are carried out in a fragmented manner, under a transitional contract, in a limited area of approximately 88,000 square meters.

The new lease will consolidate MUC04 in a continuous and expanded area of approximately 148,000 square meters, which will allow for optimized design and the implementation of substantial improvements.

The expansion of the infrastructure will increase the supply of port services for Ceará's hinterland (the area of influence of a port), which covers various states in the Northeast and Central-West, contributing to increased competitiveness, reduced logistics costs, and the modernization of Ceará's production and export transport.

With a capacity to handle 360,000 TEU annually, the project will also contribute to job creation, with an estimated 379 direct jobs, including administrative and operational roles.

After the TCU's considerations have been analyzed, the project will be sent to the National Waterway Transportation Agency (Antaq), which is responsible for continuing the tender procedures.

MUC04 will be dedicated to the movement and storage of containerized cargo and will play a relevant logistical role in the economy of the Northeast, especially in supporting agribusiness exports and the movement of fruits, a segment that requires infrastructure with connections for refrigerated containers (reefer) and efficiency in the cold chain to reach international markets quickly.