Brazilian gov’t to reassess coastal shipping regulations

Brazil’s National Waterway Transportation Agency (ANTAQ) wants to revise the regulations governing coastal shipping in the country. This announcement was made by Eduardo Nery, the agency’s general director, during the Ordinary Board Meeting held on Thursday (15).

Nery informed two Normative Resolutions (NR) are up for review by the agency. These resolutions include NR 01/2015 and NR 05/2016, which sets rules for chartering Brazilian Shipping Companies (EBNs) and the authorization to engage in maritime support, port support, cabotage, or long-haul navigation.

These two resolutions are closely linked to Law 14.301/2022, commonly known as BR do Mar, which aims to incentivize cabotage (coastal shipping) in Brazil. The director-general emphasized that while the norm is yet to be regulated,  ANTAQ can revise its internal regulations to enhance the state of Brazilian cabotage.

“While the full implementation of the public policies outlined in this legislation may still depend on regulation at a non-statutory level, it is worth noting that there are certain provisions that ANTAQ can regulate to achieve immediate effectiveness,” stated Nery.

Climate Impact Studies

In addition, Eduardo Nery announced an upcoming Extraordinary Board Meeting scheduled for Wednesday (21). This event aims to approve the methodological guide for ports interested in conducting their own analysis of climate impact and developing strategies to mitigate these impacts.

The study, authored by director Flávia Takafashi, is a collaborative effort with GIZ (Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit). In the initial phase, the study focused on mapping the primary climate threats and the potential effects of climate change on 21 Brazilian public ports. Subsequently, the agency conducted a case study in three ports (Santos, Aratu, and Rio Grande) utilizing a methodology developed in partnership with the German development agency.

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