ABSTRACT
Foreign trade business has always been important to the Santos Metropolitan Region (RMBS) where Santos Port, the main Latin American Port, 1 is located and through which around 35 per cent of Brazilian foreign trade flow (in value) passed by. After the deregulation of Brazilian port activities (Law no. 8,630 from 26 February 1993 – Brazilian Port Modernization Law) deep institutional and technological changes have occurred in the port business. Containers have facilitated goods handling, and information and communication technologies have sped up relationships and documentation flows. Customs issues have seen an improvement and have moved towards more efficient logistics management.
