DP World celebrates 10 years and aims to expand service offering end-to-end

DP World’s operations in Brazil celebrates 10 years this month. The company, which has one of the largest and most modern private port terminals in Brazil, installed on the left bank of the Port of Santos, has invested more than R$ 3 billion in the country over the past decade, and has been expanding its operations to offer complete logistics solutions to its customers. With this, DP World now covers all elements of the supply chain with unique distribution platforms, based on a global strategy that aims to serve an increasingly challenging environment with excellence.

The Santos terminal began operations in 2013 with containers and general cargo on a 653-meter quay with a capacity of 1.2 million TEUs. Over the years, its diversification strategy began, and in 2020 it took a big step by inaugurating the largest and most modern pulp handling complex in the country. For the operation, it expanded its quay, which reached 1,100 meters, in addition to building a 35,000 square meter warehouse, integrated with a railway track of more than 4,000 meters.

• + 5,200 vessels between container, pulp and breakbulk cargo operations;
• + 7.4 million TEUs (unit equivalent to a 20-foot container);
• + 9.5 million tons of pulp bales;
• + 123 thousand TEUs of crosdocking cargo;
• + 4 million Gate transactions;

In order to continue its sustainable growth and give more visibility to Brazil's main commercial products, the terminal is currently undergoing expansion and modernization works. R$ 200 million will be allocated to increase the annual handling capacity from 1.2 million TEUs to 1.4 million TEUs and expand the quay - which will rise from 1,100 meters to 1,290 meters. The works are expected to be completed in 2024, with the delivery of the backyard in 2023 and the quay the following year.

"In a decade of operations, we have many achievements to celebrate in Brazil. We recently announced a new expansion that reflects the Port of Santos' position as an important transportation and logistics track in the region. We have a great advantage in our location - with surplus area and rail access - which offers the opportunity to expand capacity and exploit our multimodality. This gives us the flexibility to develop new projects that will support our cargo diversification strategy, and end-to-end logistics to serve the sectors of the national economy and position Brazilian products to be more competitive in the global market", highlights DP World's CEO, Fabio Siccherino.

Another recent development is that the terminal has started electrifying its RTGs (container handling cranes). The project foresees the adaptation of a total of 22 pieces of equipment, which currently run on diesel. Five will be retrofitted in 2023 and the remaining in 2024. With the change, the terminal's diesel consumption will be reduced by up to 60%. Currently, new equipment purchased by the Group is already powered by renewable energy.

Business transformation

DP World's strategy worldwide is undergoing a transformation in order to maintain the flow of global trade and adapt to the new logistical challenges of the globalized world. In doing so, the Group is expanding its service offering. In addition to the handling of ports and terminals, DP World Group's business reaches other links in the logistics sector, which add value to the customer chain.

In Brazil, the main step towards this direction is the complementary operations of DP World Logistics. The subsidiary aims to expand the offer of end-to-end solutions, which integrate the logistics chain from the factory floor to the end customer's door.

For the operation of the new area, the Group acquired the supply chain solutions provider Syncreon, operating in Brazil. The integration allows DP World Logistics to perform customized contract logistics services for large companies at the Cajamar, Hortolândia and Jundiaí plants, just as it does at other units around the world.

Positive impacts for staff and ESG

In its 10 years of operations, DP World has provided professional and economic development for the residents of the Santos region.

In 2013, the first 564 people were hired for the terminal. The company was one of the pioneers in the region to open opportunities for people without experience. With the investment in training, education and safety, the company reaches 2023 with a 248% increase in its workforce: today, there are 1,400 direct members and another 5,000 indirect members.

Encouraging female empowerment has made DP World a reference in this area. Currently, the terminal is one of the ones that most employs women in its activities in the Port of Santos. There are more than 200 members present in all DP World departments, including operational areas. The terminal has women in pioneering roles in the port sector, such as the first port container and side operators in the port region.

DP World has implemented the global strategy “Nosso Mundo, Nosso Futuro” ["Our World, Our Future"], which guides and directs responsible action in the countries where it operates, reducing the impact of activities on people, communities and the environment.

In the 10 years it has been operating in Brazil, the company has invested more than R$ 12 million in more than 30 projects aimed at the region's fauna and flora and has rescued more than 35,000 plants and seeds, reusing biomass and plant residues and monitoring sandbanks and mangroves. In addition, it promoted the monitoring and management of terrestrial fauna present in the region where the terminal was built, aiming to preserve species in places authorized by Ibama and the conservation of more than 50 hectares of mangrove and sandbanks in the surroundings.

In 2022, it became the first port terminal in Brazil not to send waste to landfills after the implementation of the Aterro Zero project, which aims to reuse all waste generated on site, with emphasis on non-recyclable waste, which is transformed into sustainable energy for existing industry activities. Since the start of the project, more than 500 tons of solid waste has no longer been sent to landfills.

DP World also takes care of the port community, through projects that support and educate the surrounding residents on topics such as solidarity economy, sustainable tourism, employability, maintenance of local culture and preservation of the environment.

In addition, DP World offers extensive support for sport through the allocation of funds to the Municipal Tax Incentive Program to Support Sport (Promifae) - and since last year, to the Municipal Tax Incentive Program to Support Culture (Promicult). The contributions reach almost R$ 5 million in the period, with more than 60 projects supported in modalities such as artistic gymnastics, canoeing, futsal, crossfit, volleyball, triathlon, swimming, surfing, skateboarding, pedestrianism and cycling and, more recently, cultural projects dedicated to music, art, literature, dance, theater, among others.