Brazilian gov’t announces country’s first Waterway Concession Plan

The National Waterway Transportation Agency (ANTAQ) and the Ministry of Ports and Airports (MPor) announced the approval of Brazil’s first General Waterway Concession Plan (PGO) on Wednesday, October 25th. Furthermore, the agencies unveiled a public call for studies on the Paraguay River.

The primary objective of this waterway plan is to enhance Brazil’s competitiveness and development. The approved plan outlines that the exploration of navigable or potentially navigable waterways will occur through concessions or auctions.

The Waterway PGO is a planning instrument aligned with national transportation planning guidelines and the policies formulated by the Council of the Investment Partnership Program of the Presidency of the Republic (CPPI). It integrates transportation policies to guide investors and consolidate projects for the concession of navigable or potentially navigable waterways and the provision of waterway transport services.

The announcement ceremony featured the whole executive board of ANTAQ, Minister of Ports and Airports Silvio Costa Filho, Secretary of Ports at MPor Mariana Pescatori, Senator Luiz Carlos Heinze (RS), and Members of Parliament Leônidas Cristino (CE) and Dagoberto Nogueira (MS).

In his address, ANTAQ’s Director-General, Eduardo Nery, underscored the pivotal role of waterway development, a shared priority for MPor, the supervising body, and the Agency, the grantor of the modality.

“This initial approved plan also reflects the Federal Government’s commitment to establishing waterway transport in the country,” he remarked.

Nery also emphasized the need for investments in creating waterways in Brazil, asserting that waterborne transport is vital for achieving equilibrium in the Brazilian transportation matrix. He also explained the methodology applied in developing the Waterway PGO.

“Currently, we have only 19,000 kilometers of navigable waterways due to natural conditions and the expertise of the involved agencies. The PGO is based on a defined multi-criteria methodology that prioritized rivers and areas most suitable for waterway concessions,” he explained.

The General Waterway Concession Plan will be published in the Official Gazette of the Union later this week.

Public Call for Studies

The public call announced aims to gather studies for the Paraguay Waterway project. Initially, the studies to be undertaken will encompass the segment of the future waterway extending from the city of Cáceres/MT to the mouth of the Apa River, located on the border with Paraguay.

Being one of the oldest navigable waterways in the country, with well-established cargo movements and the potential to quadruple its current volume, the future concession of the Paraguay Waterway will invigorate the transport of agricultural commodities and iron ore.

Other PGO Projects

As per the PGO, priority actions also include studies that will underpin the concession of the following waterways:

• The Madeira River, with a scheduled auction in December 2024, according to the forthcoming Technical Cooperation Agreement (ACT) to be signed with INFRA SA. It’s important to note that the future concession of this waterway will enhance navigational reliability on this important river, particularly during water scarcity periods.
• The Mirim Lagoon, part of the Southern Waterway, with studies coordinated by MPor.

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