Banca de DEFESA: PEDRO LUIZ NEVES SCUCUGLIA
Uma banca de DEFESA de MESTRADO foi cadastrada pelo programa.DISCENTE : PEDRO LUIZ NEVES SCUCUGLIA
DATA : 20/02/2026
HORA: 09:00
LOCAL: Apresentação remota (Microsoft Teams)
TÍTULO:
PORT PRICING IN BRAZIL: A COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS
PALAVRAS-CHAVES:
PRICING, PORTS, PORT GOVERNANCE, REGULATION
PÁGINAS: 82
RESUMO:
This thesis examines pricing policies in Brazilian public ports through a comparative approach,
considering the findings obtained from four of the country’s largest seaports: Santos, Paranaguá, Itaqui, and Suape. These ports were selected based on several criteria, notably their relevance within the national cargo-handling matrix, as they collectively account for more than 55% of the cargo flows processed in Brazil’s public port system. The topic is particularly pertinent given that port service pricing directly affects a wide range of supply chains whose logistics activities depend, either directly or indirectly, on port infrastructure. Moreover, although the literature on this subject is well developed in the European and Asian ports, research specifically focused on the Latin American ports remains limited.
The analysis indicates that the ports in question have shown strong performance over the past decade, both operationally and financially. The period was characterized by sustained growth in cargo throughput and gross operating revenue, accompanied by solid financial outcomes supported by a more mature expenditure-control regime. The data reveals an increase in tariff revenue collected per vessel call, largely above inflation, suggesting a real rise in tariff costs for users. This trend intensifies particularly from 2021–2022 onward, suggesting a possible correlation with the methodology applied to maritime access charges, which are influenced by the dimensions of the vessels calling at the ports (DWT). The analysis also indicates a strong inertial component in tariff composition, reinforcing the view that there is a window of opportunity to advance discussions on costing and its implications for the overall cost of port services from the users’ perspective.
All ports exhibited steady increase in property-related revenues, being the category that presented the highest year-to-year growth, with all four ports showing a marked increase in its share of total revenues. These results are closely linked to the acceleration of the Brazilian government’s partnerships and concessions program, particularly from 2019–2020 onward, which led to the implementation of several lease projects in Brazil: this process seems to have leveraged private investment while simultaneously boosting the property-based income of port authorities.
These elements, set together with other sectorial trends (such as the privatization of access channels in major ports across the country) suggest that the traditional landlord model of Brazilian public ports, historically concentrated on the provision of services to port users, particularly vessels, is undergoing reconfiguration: in this emerging model, port authorities increasingly focus on the strategic management of port assets, governed primarily by long-term contractual arrangements. On the one hand, this configuration offers greater financial stability, given that revenues are backed by long-duration instruments, ensuring predictable and sustained cash flows. On the other hand, this substantial transfer of responsibility for infrastructure investments to the private sector reveals is an indication of the structural challenges faced by ports in fully delivering such investments. As the port authority gradually distances itself from functions that are crucial to guaranteeing long-term port development, ensuring transparency, governance, and an appropriate regulatory framework becomes a must.
MEMBROS DA BANCA:
Externa à Instituição - VANINA MACOWSKI DURSKI SILVA - UFSC
Externa à Instituição - CASSIA BOMER GALVAO - TAMU
Presidente - ***.680.953-** - FRANCISCO GILDEMIR FERREIRA DA SILVA - UFC
Interno - 1552603 - PASTOR WILLY GONZALES TACO