Paraguay River Waterway: Public Hearing Period Extended Until March 10

The National Agency for Waterway Transportation (ANTAQ) has extended the period for contributions to Public Hearing 18/2024, which discusses the improvement of documents and proposed modeling for the concession of the Paraguay Waterway.

The contribution deadline for the public consultation, initially set to end on February 23, 2025, has been extended by 15 days. A public session on the topic took place last Thursday (6).

This will be Brazil’s first waterway concession, representing a milestone for the sector. The auction will enhance logistical efficiency and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Contributions

The complete documentation, including legal drafts related to Public Hearing No. 18/2024, is available at this link. The project presentation can be accessed here.

Contributions can be submitted until 11:59 PM on March 10, 2025, exclusively through the electronic form available on ANTAQ’s website. Contributions submitted via any other method will not be accepted.

Digital images, such as maps, plans, and photos, may be attached exclusively through email: [email protected], with the contributor’s identification and within the specified deadline. Sending the attachment by email does not exempt submitting the written contribution via the electronic form.

If the interested party does not have the necessary resources to submit the contribution via electronic form, they can use the computer at this Agency’s General Secretariat (SGE) in Brasília/DF or at its Regional Units, whose addresses are available on ANTAQ’s website.

About the Concession

The Paraguay River Waterway spans 600 km between Corumbá (MS) and the mouth of the Apa River, located in Porto Murtinho (MS), including the Tamengo Canal bed in the Corumbá municipality.

In the first five years of the concession, services such as dredging, wreck removal, buoying and signaling, construction of an industrial warehouse, acquisition of dredgers, hydrological monitoring, hydrographic surveys, improvements in crossings and convoy disembarkation points, and the implementation of waterway traffic management systems, including Vessel Traffic Service (VTS) and River Information Service (RIS), will be carried out. There will also be river intelligence services.

These improvements will ensure the safety and reliability of navigation. The estimated direct investment for these initial years is R$63.8 million. The concession’s contract term is 15 years, with the possibility of a one-time renewal for an additional 15 years.

Low and Free Tariffs

According to the proposed model, tariffs will only be charged for cargo movement once the concessionaire delivers the services outlined in the contract’s first phase. No tariffs will apply for passenger transport or small cargo.

The pre-auction tariff forecast is up to R$1.27 per ton of cargo. The auction’s bidding criteria may involve the lowest tariff, meaning this value could be further reduced. However, the auction criteria could be modified during the public consultation process.

Cargo Movement

After the concession, cargo transport on the Paraguay River is estimated to range between 25 and 30 million tons starting in 2030, marking a significant increase in activity compared to current levels. Last year, the waterway transported 7.95 million tons of cargo, reflecting a 72.57% increase from 2022.

In 2023, the waterways transported over 157 million tons of cargo, nearly 10% of all aquatic transport in the period. This transported cargo volume has even more growth potential, and the search for private investment in this segment aligns with the goal of achieving greater national logistical efficiency.

Navigability

With the concession, the waterway will be 3 meters deep when the river is full and 2 meters during dry periods, ensuring vessel navigability throughout the year, or at least most of it.

Considering the extreme droughts of recent years, the contract also includes adequate risk distribution with the creation of a Contractual Hydrological Reference Zone, which involves a statistical evaluation of the Paraguay River’s hydrological behavior.

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