The Brazilian port of Manaus will invest R$97 million (US 37.4 million) in automation at one container terminal and at a general cargo facility and buy new equipment after receiving private use status, exempting it from certain labor rules.
Superterminais, which handles containers, breakbulk and project cargo in the state of Amazonas, is the 25th facility to be granted Terminal de Uso Privado, or a TUP or Private Use Terminal, status since a disappointing new Brazilian port law was passed in June of 2013.
The law is considered a failure so far because of the more than 130 promised port concessions — worth US $2.24 billion total — only a fraction have been realized. Twenty-five concessions totaling R$9.54 billion have been awarded. Critics of the port law say that many of these TUPs were already operating or in process before the law was passed.