Ministry of Infrastructure prepares a ‘BR dos Rios’ to stimulate waterway navigation
Dec, 03, 2020 Posted by Ruth HollardWeek 202050
After the BR do Mar program, which opens the cabotage market to foreigners, the Ministry of Infrastructure is preparing a new program to stimulate waterway navigation. Still without a definitive name but nicknamed “BR dos Rios”, the project should be ready in early 2021 to attract investments and increase the importance of waterways as a means of cargo transportation.
Data from the National Waterway Transport Agency – ANTAQ – show that inland navigation handles 5% of cargo in the country. The idea is that BR dos Rios can increase this flow to at least 8% by 2035. For this purpose, several studies are underway. According to Dino Batista, Director of the Ministry of Navigation and Waterways, the idea is to develop a package with legal and administrative measures capable of attracting private initiative. The program may seek investors to make new waterways viable and expand those already in operation, such as Tocantins-Araguaia, Tapajós, and São Francisco. According to ANTAQ, the country has about 27,400 km of navigable rivers and another 15,400 km of sections that, with some investment, could become navigable. This would integrate river networks with ports, highways, and railways. “The idea is to increasingly encourage this type of transport and integrate it with the others by creating logistical corridors to lower freight costs,” said Batista.
The ministry is proceeding on two fronts to try to enhance the waterways. In one of them, the World Bank and a specialized consulting firm are in the process of completing studies to detect the main bottlenecks in the transport modal. For this, laws and administrative acts were verified and the economic aspects of each waterway were analyzed. On another front, technicians from the ministry conduct economic feasibility studies on both the Madeira and Tapajós waterways. “This assessment can lead to a structuring model for bidding [concession]. But it can also point to other investment attraction models, such as a PPP [public-private partnership] or search for a partner.” The Minister of Infrastructure, Tarcísio de Freitas intends to give preference to the São Francisco waterways (which still have 2,700 km of roads that can become navigable), Tocantins-Araguaia (another 1,300 km to be explored), and Mercosur (with more 2,900 km in the Paraná basin).
These waterways were chosen because the Minister wants to prioritize the North arc, integrating the agricultural production centers to these waterways towards the ports in the region. For this, road and railway works were chosen that could generate some kind of immediate connection with the waterways. Like BR do Mar, BR dos Rios should also face strong resistance from truck drivers, who will see their freight reduced. In many cases, it is faster and more economical to ship cargo across rivers. The government has set a goal of reducing dependence on highways by 2035; today, they account for 65% of cargo movement.
Source: Folha de S. Paulo
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