Antaq Sets Calculation Criteria for Additional Area Use at the Port of Itajaí

The board of the National Waterway Transport Agency (Antaq) defined, in a meeting held on the 4th, how the calculation should be performed to allow JBS Terminais to use an additional area at the Port of Itajaí (SC). The discussion centred on the occupancy index of Area A — the terminal’s main yard — which, when reaching 80%, authorises the use of Area B, a 13,000-square-meter space, under the same economic conditions established in the contract.

The APS, the former port authority of Itajaí, argued that the index should be calculated daily. JBS, however, maintained that the verification should be based on monthly averages. The agency unanimously ruled in favor of the terminal: the calculation will now be made using monthly cycles, granting one month of access to Area B whenever the average occupancy of Area A exceeds the 80% threshold.

Antaq director Flávia Takafashi, who had requested more time to review the case in a previous meeting, explained that the approved interpretation applies only to the period preceding the densification authorised in 2024. “I requested more time to analyse the issue of area charges since it related to the densification request that we approved, but I verified that the decision only applies to the period before the densification of the contract,” she noted.

The agency’s technical team highlighted significant volatility in daily occupancy data for Area A in 2025, with variations exceeding 20% and peaks reaching 136% on a single day. According to Antaq, this behaviour reinforces the need for a more stable criterion to preserve the contract’s economic-financial balance and avoid distortions.

Below is a historical overview of long-haul container throughput at the Port of Itajaí starting in September 2024, when operations resumed. The chart was prepared using DataLiner data and excludes cabotage, transhipment, and other internal cargo movements:

Long-haul Container Throughput via the Port of Itajaí | Sep 2024 to Oct 2025 | TEU

Source: DataLiner (Click here to request a demo)

Other Topics Discussed

The meeting also addressed two additional relevant matters: a possible Conduct Adjustment Agreement (TAC) to resolve port security failures in Itajaí and the update of regulations governing authorizations for support navigation and cabotage services.

The agency acknowledged the possibility of formalizing a TAC with the Port of Itajaí Superintendence to correct the nonconformities identified by Conportos during an audit conducted in October, which evaluated compliance with the ISPS Code, the international port security standard. Director Lima Filho emphasized that the purpose of the clause under review is to ensure appropriate predictability in the contract. According to the Port Superintendence, the TAC will allow the necessary hiring of services to address the deficiencies identified by the commission linked to the Ministry of Justice.

In the same session, the board approved updates to Normative Resolution 5/2026, which establishes authorization rules for companies operating in maritime support navigation, port support, cabotage, or long-haul navigation. The changes align the regulation with the BR do Mar Law, incorporating conceptual adjustments, new criteria related to bareboat chartering, and the formalization of the EBIN — the Brazilian Investment Company in Navigation.

Source: Portal Be News

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