Itajaí Port Faces R$200,000 Fine for Failing to Maintain Draft Requirement

Itajaí Port has been fined BRL 200,000 by the National Waterway Transportation Agency (Antaq) for not meeting the minimum depth requirements in the navigation and maneuvering areas of the Port Complex. The analysis considered navigability reports since 2021, concluding that, on “several occasions” between 2022 and 2023, the depths were below the minimum required for ships entering and leaving the terminals in Itajaí and Navegantes.

According to Antaq, the Itajaí Port Authority did not take the necessary steps to hold the company Van Oord accountable for the maintenance dredging of port accesses. The Agency lists that suspending payments and imposing a fine could have resolved the situation.

The infraction report states that Itajaí Port temporarily suspended payments to the company, but the measure was lifted without the minimum depth being restored.

“The action that should have been taken by the contracting party (Itajaí Port Authority) was suspending payments until the restoration of the quotas, in addition to applying a fine and booking the contracted company asking for regularization. Thus, Port Authority should not have resumed payments,” evaluates Antaq.

The port has a 30-day deadline to present a defense. When contacted, the Itajaí Port Authority mentioned the possibility of appealing the fine and, for now, will not comment on the matter. It also informed that a new dredger is expected to arrive in the coming days to expedite the depth recovery, which was affected by the October floods.

Source: NSC Total

Click here to read the original publication: https://www.nsctotal.com.br/colunistas/dagmara-spautz/porto-de-itajai-e-multado-por-descumprir-profundidade-minima-para-os-navios

Sharing is caring!