by Lloyd's List

18 March 2025 (Lloyd's List) - DP WORLD and Maersk have signed a long-term strategic agreement to expand maritime services at DP World’s terminal at Santos, Brazil.

Maersk will launch six new services with eight weekly calls in the first year of the deal, increasing to seven services and 10 weekly calls in 2026 following DP World’s capacity expansion.

The terminal handles around 1.4m teu annually, but to accommodate growing demand DP World said it is investing R$450m ($79m) to expand capacity to 1.7m teu by the end of 2026, plus a further R$1.6bn to increase capacity to 2.1m teu by the end of 2027.

Last year saw DP World set a record when its Santos terminal handled 1.25m teu, a 14% increase on 2023’s figure.

DP World’s commercial vice-president Marcio Medina said the announcement was “another strategic step for DP World in Brazil, reinforcing our presence at the port of Santos, and accelerating new expansion opportunities in the country”.

“This agreement with Maersk not only allows us to expand our operational capacity for container handling but also ensures long-term access to Brazil’s leading port and logistics hub.”

Maersk’s regional head of terminal and port procurement for Latin America, Paulo Ruy, said the deal secured service capacity for Maersk at Santos.

“It aligns with our strategy to ensure reliable and efficient operations for our customers in the region,” he said.

“By having this commercial agreement with DP World, we are able to meet the growing demand for container handling and enhance our service offerings, ensuring that we continue to provide end to end logistics solutions, in addition to our stand-alone products.”