Brazil sends Rio Grande do Sul waterway concession plan to regulator, eyes $134 mln in investments

Brazil’s Ministry of Ports and Airports has submitted to the National Waterway Transportation Agency (Antaq) a concession proposal for an integrated waterway system covering ports in Rio Grande do Sul and Lagoa Mirim, in what would be the country’s first auction model combining port access channels and inland waterways under a single contract.

The project предусматриes 134 million reais ($134 million) in direct investments.

Last week, the ministry approved the Technical, Economic and Environmental Feasibility Study and requested that Antaq open a public consultation and hearing process. The consultation phase allows stakeholders to submit comments before the proposal is reviewed by Brazil’s federal audit court (TCU) and the bidding notice is published.

The concession would include waterway access infrastructure to the ports of Rio Grande, Pelotas and Porto Alegre, covering anchorage areas, turning basins and berths. It also encompasses strategic stretches of the Lagoa dos Patos waterway, Guaíba Lake and the Jacuí, Caí, Sinos and Gravataí rivers, currently managed by state port authority Portos RS.

The aim is to ensure predictable, ongoing investment in channel maintenance, a key factor for navigation safety and the competitiveness of ports in southern Brazil. The model would provide for regular dredging to maintain operational depths, reduce draft restrictions and allow larger vessels to call at the region’s terminals.

National Ports Secretary Alex Ávila said the initiative represents a structural advance for the state’s waterway system.

“By integrating access channels and inland waterway stretches into a single model, we ensure predictability, operational efficiency and permanent investment in infrastructure maintenance, improving navigation conditions and boosting the competitiveness of the region’s ports,” he said.

Ávila added that the project builds on the policy introduced with the concession of the Paranaguá access channel, Brazil’s first such auction.

“The Paranaguá channel auction was the first step in this new approach. Based on that experience, we consolidated a modern and sustainable management model for waterway infrastructure. We are now expanding that logic to an integrated system, strengthening the competitiveness of Rio Grande do Sul’s ports and establishing a national standard,” he said.

Southern ports post growth in 2025

The proposal comes amid rising cargo volumes in Brazil’s South region. In 2025, public ports in the region handled 129.7 million metric tons, up 9.38% from a year earlier.

Dry bulk led volumes at 77.6 million tons, driven by agricultural shipments, while containerized cargo totaled 31.8 million tons, up 24.54%.

Paranaguá in Paraná state handled 66.4 million tons, followed by Rio Grande in Rio Grande do Sul with 31.6 million tons and São Francisco do Sul in Santa Catarina with 17.5 million tons. Imbituba and Itajaí, both in Santa Catarina, handled 7.1 million and 4.4 million tons, respectively.

Containers were the top cargo segment at 31.8 million tons, followed by soybeans at 25.8 million tons and fertilizers at 19.4 million tons. Corn and sugar combined totaled 16.1 million tons.

In foreign trade, exports through southern ports rose 9.73% in 2025, while imports increased 6.96%, underscoring the region’s strategic role in Brazil’s logistics network.

Source: Ministry of Ports and Airports

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