133-year-old shipwreck complicates expansion at Itajaí port complex

A ship that sank 133 years ago during Brazil’s 1893 Naval Revolt has become a modern obstacle for port expansion in Santa Catarina.

The Pallas, a 19th-century vessel lying on the bed of the Itajaí-Açu River, has become a headache for the Port of Itajaí, on the northern coast of Santa Catarina state. Its wreckage prevents one section of the navigation channel from being deepened and has become a barrier to expansion plans at the port complex.

The remains of the vessel are located between buoys 9 and 11, near Turning Basin No. 2, on the Navegantes side of the river. The wreckage prevents that area from being dredged to 16 meters, one of the measures needed to increase operating capacity and allow larger vessels to reach the complex.

Removing the Pallas is also tied to the expansion of Turning Basin No. 2, which is planned to reach 530 meters in diameter. According to the Itajaí Port Authority, the work would improve vessel maneuvering conditions and strengthen navigational safety in the area.

Removing the wreck could cost more than R$20 million

The Itajaí Port Authority is currently working on a plan to remove the vessel from the riverbed.

A R$310,000 agreement was signed with the University of Vale do Itajaí, known as Univali, to carry out the studies needed to define how the task force will recover the Pallas wreckage from the port channel.

The work includes underwater inspections, technical diving, surveys and structural analysis. The field stage will conclude with a technical dive, which had initially been scheduled for Wednesday, August 12, but was postponed because of adverse weather conditions.

The dive, still without a new date, will allow teams to inspect, verify and record the current condition of the wreckage.

The full removal of the hull is estimated to cost about R$23 million and is expected to receive federal government investment. Once the wreck is removed, the port expects to move ahead with adjustments to Turning Basin No. 2 and the deepening of the channel.

Ship sank 133 years ago

The Pallas was built in England in 1891 and carried cargo and passengers between Rio de Janeiro and Buenos Aires, with calls in Itajaí.

The vessel sank on October 23, 1893, during the Naval Revolt. It is believed to have gone down after its captain refused to support rebels trying to overthrow Floriano Peixoto, then president of Brazil.

The ship was also looted and lost valuable objects.

The wreckage was only identified again in 2017, during dredging works for the construction of the new turning basin at the Port of Itajaí.

Subsequent surveys found that the vessel is split in half, with metal structures and wood fragments scattered across the riverbed. Since then, the remains of the Pallas have been treated as a constraint on projects to expand the port complex’s waterway infrastructure.

The Naval Revolt

The Naval Revolt was a military uprising that took place between 1893 and 1894, led by sectors of the Brazilian Navy opposed to the government of Floriano Peixoto, then president of the republic.

The rebels demanded new elections, arguing that Floriano had taken power illegitimately after the resignation of Deodoro da Fonseca.

The rebellion had major episodes in Rio de Janeiro and Santa Catarina, including naval clashes and bombardments. Despite the strength of the insurgents, the government managed to suppress the revolt, consolidating the authority of Brazil’s newly established republican regime.

Source: NSC Total