Federal Audit Court approves concession for access channel to Port of Itajaí

Brazil’s Federal Audit Court (TCU) on Tuesday (19) approved the concession of the waterway access channel to the Port of Itajaí, in Santa Catarina state. The project provides for a 25-year contract, with the possibility of extension for up to 70 years, and estimated investments of around R$300 million.

The concession will be the second of its kind in Brazil. The first access channel concession in the country was at the Port of Paranaguá, auctioned last year. The government and the port sector expect the new model to bring greater predictability to dredging management and the maintenance of the region’s operating depth.

The project is seen as strategic after a series of interruptions in dredging works on the access channel to the ports of Itajaí and Navegantes. In April, the region’s operating depth fell by about 30 centimeters after nearly two months without dredging services, according to an update from the Port Captaincy.

With the concession, the channel’s depth, currently at 13.5 meters, is expected to be increased to up to 16 meters, allowing larger vessels to enter and boosting the competitiveness of the ports of Itajaí and Navegantes.

In practice, the loss of depth directly affects port logistics, especially container transport, the main cargo segment handled by the ports of Itajaí and Navegantes. The restriction makes it harder for larger vessels to berth and could reduce cargo throughput in the region by as much as 10%, according to sector estimates.

Dredging services were suspended at the beginning of the year and only resumed in April under an emergency contract. A similar situation occurred in early 2025 due to a lack of payment to Van Oord, the company responsible for carrying out the dredging work and which returned under the current emergency contract.

The operational situation adds to a recent history of administrative instability at the Port of Itajaí. After financial and operational difficulties at the local port authority, management of the port was transferred in January 2025 to the Santos Port Authority by decision of the Ministry of Ports and Airports.

In addition to the access channel concession, the federal government is still preparing the final modeling for the concession of the Port of Itajaí terminal. Studies for the project were approved in 2025.

The project was initially structured to include both the definitive concession of the terminal and the access channel. That model was revised by the federal government, which decided to separate the two assets.

The terminal is currently under temporary management by JBS, whose contract runs until the end of 2026. The company has already expressed interest in competing in the definitive auction. JBS Terminais President Aristides Russi Jr. has publicly said the company intends to take part in the future permanent concession of the terminal.

The Port of Itajaí has faced instability and changes since the previous administration. Under the government of Jair Bolsonaro, the proposal under discussion was the privatization of the port, which had been approved by the TCU. With the change in government, the strategy shifted to prioritizing specific concessions for port assets and services, such as the access channel and the terminal.

Source: CNN Infra

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