In February 2nd, 1892, the Port of Santos - considered the largest Port in the Southern Hemisphere - was opened, when the Companhia Docas de Santos - CDS, consigned to the world navigation the first 284 yards of docks in the area called Valongo. The mooring of the Nasmith British Steam Ship was set on this date. In 1980, Companhia Docas do Estado de São Paulo - CODESP - www.portodesantos.com.br, a semipublic company, in which the Federal Government has the majority of stocks, took over the management of the port. The Port of Santos has the largest container terminal in Latin America, with 135 acres. It has 7.5 miles of docks with terminals specially assigned for grains, fertilizers, bulk liquid and containers. It also has two railways with 124 miles of railway lines. The Port's geographical location is crucial for the development of the intermodal transportation (road-maritime), guaranteeing a fast economical alternative for the cargo transportation in the Mercosur countries. We must point out that 30% of all Brazilian exports are shipped through the São Paulo ports and airports. Presently, the Port of Santos interchanges more than 38 million tons of cargo per year. To guarantee new investments, a faster and more effective structure, many of the Port's services are being taken over by private companies. More than 120 companies operate in the area and the investments for the next five years should amount to US$ 1 billion. CODESP is developing the Santos 2000 Project, considered to be an ambitious modernizing plan that is ranking port as one of the most important ports in Latin America in the 21st Century. The target is to turn Port of Santos into a more modern, competitive, faster and well-equipped port.