Rio Grande Port Authority Announces 2nd Round of Dredging Investments to Enhance Navigation

The goal of this project is to increase the current operational draft and ensure the safety of ship entry and exit within the Rio Grande Port complex.

According to the Infrastructure Directorate of the public-owned company, the dredging efforts will focus on the areas of the outer and inner channels, as well as Porto Novo. It is estimated that approximately 2.7 million cubic meters of sediment will be removed using modern equipment for about 80 days.

Lucas Meurer, Director of Infrastructure at Portos RS, emphasized, “The main objective of this project is not only to increase the operational draft, allowing larger vessels to use Rio Grande as a common route, but also to demonstrate to the market that the city has plans to become the primary hub in the Southern Cone for receiving container ships.”

The contract between the Port Authority and Van Oord, the winning bidder, was signed on Thursday during an event attended by the State Governor, Eduardo Leite, Secretary of Logistics and Transportation Juvir Costella, Secretary of Economic Development Ernani Polo, and Secretary of Planning, Governance, and Management, Danielle Calazans.

This activity is budgeted at R$ 94.5 million and is considered essential for the operations of the Port of Rio Grande, as stipulated under the Operating License of the public docks in Rio Grande.

Dredging ensures navigability across the channel, removing potential obstacles that could damage vessels, such as grounding. Annual dredging routines help reduce sediment buildup and the duration of the work. Moreover, the dredged channel enhances the competitiveness of the Port of Rio Grande, strengthening the entire port economic ecosystem by increasing traffic.

Prior bathymetric surveys determined the volume of material to be removed. During the process, the dredged sediment will be disposed of in an area licensed by the Brazilian Institute of the Environment and Renewable Natural Resources (Ibama), with monitoring conducted with the SiMCosta system.

Every project of this nature is authorized by the environmental authority, Ibama, and is preceded by a documentation process called the Dredging Plan. The dredging cycles, involving material suction and disposal, will be monitored by environmental technicians from Portos RS, Ibama, and the Federal University of Rio Grande (Furg).

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