Port of Natal: first phase of dredging expected to be completed within 120 days

The first phase of dredging at the Port of Natal began last Friday (April 24), following the arrival of the dredger in the capital of Rio Grande do Norte state. Work on the port’s access channel, originally scheduled to start in January, is expected to last about 120 days, according to officials speaking at a press conference held last Thursday (April 23) at the state government headquarters.

The expectation is that the works will be completed within that period, although the timeline could still be adjusted, as explained by Paulo Henrique Macedo, chief executive of Companhia Docas do Rio Grande do Norte, or Codern. The work is being carried out by DTA Engenharia, the company that won the tender.

According to the Ministry of Ports and Airports, maintenance dredging of the access channel at the Port of Natal is expected to ensure a depth of 12.5 meters, allowing the port to receive vessels of up to 237 meters in length.

The project calls for dredging the access channel used by ships to reach the terminal. “The access channel, after we removed the sandbank that caused the grounding in 2023, returned to a safe draft of 10 meters, but we need to complete the dredging in order to restore its original depth of 12.5 meters,” Macedo said during the press conference.

The second phase, involving the turning basin, does not yet have a defined timeline because it depends on environmental conditions and approvals. The plan is for the full project, with estimated investment of 54.5 million reais, to be completed in 2026. “We cannot yet forecast the timetable for the second phase because there are environmental conditions that still need to be resolved,” Macedo said.

He also noted that other investments are under way at the Port of Natal, including fenders for the Newton Navarro Bridge, rehabilitation of quay fenders, warehouses and sheds, and installation of a photovoltaic system to make port operations more sustainable.

A dredger is a specialized vessel that removes sediment from the bottom of ports, rivers and channels in order to increase or maintain depth. In practice, dredging allows larger vessels to access the port.

That is expected to support the movement of heavier cargoes and broaden the range of business activities at the Port of Natal. One of the expectations is growth in live cargo operations.

According to Guilherme Saldanha, Rio Grande do Norte’s secretary of agriculture, livestock and fisheries, a vessel is scheduled for June to transport live cattle. “It is a new segment. These ships require greater draft and port infrastructure that allows for better depth,” he said.

Governor Fátima Bezerra noted that the last dredging work carried out at the Port of Natal took place in 2009. “This project will bring more competitiveness and greater safety to the port, creating more opportunities for workers and generating jobs,” she said.

In the auction held in February this year at B3 in São Paulo, the North Yard, NAT01, at the Port of Natal was awarded to Fomento do Brasil Mineração, linked to India’s Fomento Resources group, for a concession fee of 50,000 reais and with planned investment of 55.17 million reais over 15 years. The terminal is expected to be used mainly for iron ore exports.

Dredging at the Port of Natal had originally been scheduled for January 2026, then postponed to March, delayed again, and is only now beginning at the end of April. The change in schedule was due to the need to complete technical approvals and overcome bureaucratic hurdles in the environmental licensing process.

Source: Tribuna do Norte