Coastal shipping expands supply and connects Brazil’s North to domestic markets

The strengthening of coastal shipping has expanded supply, lowered logistics costs and better integrated regional production with Brazil’s main domestic markets. Between January and November 2025, cabotage — maritime transport between Brazilian ports — moved 10.8 million tonnes in the North region, according to data from Brazil’s waterway transport regulator Antaq, amid progress under the BR do Mar program.

Compared with the same period in 2024, cabotage volumes in the North rose by about 200,000 tonnes in 2025 across all cargo types, while containerized cargo increased 8.25%. The result extends the expansion seen a year earlier, when volumes were already up about 8.3% from 2023, reflecting greater regularity and predictability in waterborne transport operations.

Moving regional output

The main cabotage origins in the North are concentrated in Pará state — notably the terminals of Trombetas, Juruti and Vila do Conde — as well as Manaus, in Amazonas. From these hubs, most cargo moves to ports in the Northeast and Southeast, which serve as distribution and consumption centers.

Otto Luiz Burlier, Brazil’s national secretary for waterways and navigation, said the efficiency gains are a direct result of a more competitive business environment created by the program.

“The growth of cabotage in the North is linked to the BR do Mar guidelines, which expanded service offerings, encouraged competition and strengthened legal certainty in the sector. These factors are especially important in regions with long distances and a high reliance on waterborne transport,” he said.

The flows underscore cabotage’s role as a strategic engine for large-scale cargo movement and for integrating the North with Brazil’s main domestic markets.

Cargo mix

Cabotage traffic in the North is led by bauxite shipments, both as dry bulk and general cargo, totaling 3.86 million tonnes over the period.

Containerized cargo totaled 3.23 million tonnes and includes industrial and technology goods, as well as food, beverages and basic inputs. This segment plays a key role in maintaining regular urban supply and reducing logistics costs.

Liquid and gaseous bulk cargoes were led by oil and oil products, with 2.81 million tonnes moved between January and November 2025.

From 2022 to 2025, following the launch of the BR do Mar program, containerized cabotage in the region rose every year. Volumes increased from 2.4 million tonnes in 2022 to 2.5 million tonnes in 2023, 3.0 million tonnes in 2024 and reached 3.2 million tonnes in 2025 — the highest level ever recorded in the region.

BR do Mar and regulatory certainty

Cabotage’s performance in the North is closely tied to the BR do Mar program’s regulatory measures, which have brought greater predictability and legal certainty, encouraged competition and ensured a larger fleet to meet national logistics needs.

Key steps include the Essential Clauses Ordinance for long-term contracts, issued in November 2025, and the Sustainable Vessel Ordinance, now in the final stage of regulation. These legal tools provide greater market stability and freight rate predictability, while promoting more sustainable practices in Brazilian shipping.

Bruna Roncel, head of maritime navigation coordination, said the regulatory updates raise market standards and ensure that logistics expansion rests on solid foundations. “The BR do Mar ordinances represent a regulatory advance by linking cabotage growth to sustainability and legal certainty,” she said.

By combining regulatory certainty, competition and sustainability, the BR do Mar program has strengthened cabotage as a public policy tool for national logistics integration. In the North, this set of measures has helped expand supply, cut logistics costs and connect regional production with Brazil’s main domestic markets.

Source: Ministério de Portos e Aeroportos

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