ANTAQ announces dates for public hearing on concession of Paranagua Port’s Waterway Access

The Brazilian National Waterway Transportation Agency (ANTAQ) has announced a Public Hearing from October 9, 2023, to November 22, 2023. The purpose is to gather contributions, subsidies, and suggestions for improving technical and legal documents related to the bidding process for the concession of waterway access (access channel) to the Port of Paranaguá.

This groundbreaking project owes it to current conditions of access to the Port of Paranaguá that have made the country’s first waterway concession feasible in Paraná.

Eduardo Nery, Director-General of the Agency, emphasized the learning curve that the port sector gains from the project, which begins in Paranaguá and could serve as a successful model for other ports. He highlighted that despite the project’s complexity, the studies were elaborated at a highly technical level by INFRA S.A. “I congratulate everyone involved in this construction, especially the team from the Ministry of Ports and Airports and Ports of Paraná,” he pointed out.

The scope of the concession will encompass the expansion, maintenance, and operation of the waterway access channel for a period of 25 years. The main improvements outlined in the project include deepening, widening, and expansion of the channel, widening of the turning basin, and deepening of anchorage area No. 6. This is expected to increase the depth to 13.3 meters during the implementation phase and eventually reach 15.5 meters after the concession.

In the proposed model, developed by the Ministry of Ports and Airports, Ports of Paraná, ANTAQ, and other stakeholders, the future concession-holder will carry out all necessary investments to achieve the established goal, including dredging services, rock removal, nautical signaling, bathymetry, environmental programs, and monitoring, among others.

According to the project, this increase in the draft is essential to ensure better operational conditions, allowing the accommodation of larger vessels, which are currently restricted due to the depth and conditions of the channel, in addition to enhancing navigation safety.

Social Participation – In the notice released by ANTAQ, technical and legal documents will be available from October 9, 2023, and contributions can be sent to ANTAQ until 11:59 PM on November 22, 2023, exclusively through the electronic form provided on the indicated website. More information is available at: https://www.in.gov.br/web/dou/-/aviso-de-audiencia-publica-n-7/2023-antaq-de-25-de-setembro-de-2023-512263846.

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