Change in law spurred private port terminals

The development of inland waterway transport and the consolidation of the Arco Norte corridors are directly linked to privately operated terminals (TUPs). “The approval of the Ports Law at the end of 2013 opened the market so that terminals, which until then were for private use only, could handle third-party cargo. This brought legal certainty and attracted investors,” explained Elisangela Pereira Lopes, technical adviser for infrastructure and logistics at CNA.

After the law was approved, there were around 50 applications to install TUPs, many of them in the region, as well as orders for barges and tugboats. “And this boosted activity in the Amazon region, leading to a drop in freight rates compared with the Southeast. These investments came entirely from the private sector, which realized that using the Arco Norte route was better and cheaper,” said Hito Braga de Moraes, director of the Technology Institute at the Federal University of Pará (UFPA).

In December 2024, Brazil had 277 port facilities operated under authorization, of which 229 were registered as TUPs, according to the National Waterway Transportation Agency (Antaq) — 106 of them in the North. “This is the fastest-growing corridor,” said Décio Amaral, CEO of Hidrovias do Brasil, which has belonged to the Ultra Group since May.

Amaggi, which owns terminals and ports in Rondônia, Amazonas, and Pará, is expanding its fleet of 223 barges and 21 push boats by 10%. The company has a joint venture with Bunge, Unitapajós, to move grain along the Tapajós and Amazon waterways. “Investments like these will keep the Arco Norte corridors competitive for grain, fiber, and other crops,” said Claudinei Zenatti, Amaggi’s logistics and operations director.

It is not always possible, however, to operate via rivers. The sector’s primary concern remains the lack of navigational predictability. The Atem Group, whose fluvial logistics arm is Navemazônia, said it carried out an emergency operation during the 2024 dry season, deploying 80 trucks over 850 km to supply regions that could no longer be reached by river. “This mobilization reinforced the importance of waterway predictability and cooperation among operators, regulators, and the public sector,” the company said.

Other companies share the same assessment. “The adoption of a continuous river dredging program would help,” said Zenatti of Amaggi. “These investments would benefit society as a whole, as they would increase safety and keep active the main vector of Amazon integration,” said Amaral of Hidrovias do Brasil.

Source: Valor Econômico

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