Suape International Container Terminal

completed

The Suape ICT project will complete, fit out, and operate a container terminal within the Suape port in the state of Pernambuco in northeast Brazil under a 30-year Lease Agreement. Suape Port Authority awarded the lease in May 2001 to International Container Terminal Services Inc. (ICTSI), a major Philippine container terminal operator. Operations are expected to commence in early 2002. Suape is a major port and industrial zone currently under development by Pernambuco State, and is located 40 km south of Recife, the state capital. It is at the convergence point of the main maritime long haul routes linking the eastern coast of South America to other continents, as well as to coastal traffic connecting the southern to the northeastern and northern regions of Brazil. Through existing road and rail connections, Suape ICT will provide the hinterland of Suape with cost effective access to coastal and ocean container shipping services.The area designated for the container terminal is located in the inner harbor of the port, which was constructed in 1999, and includes 660 meters of berth space and 20 hectares of backup area. Civil works, including dredging, land reclamation, and construction of the berth, have been completed by the port authority. Supporting infrastructure in the port is well developed with electric power, water supply, waste water treatment and communications services available to tenants. To achieve the contractually required throughput capacity of 250,000 TEUs (twenty foot equivalent units) per year, Tecon Suape is undertaking a supplemental civil works program as part of the project to configure the site to its planned equipment and operations. The project also includes acquisition and installation of container handling equipment, construction of offices, and installation of computer systems.