Studies Reveal Inland Navigation Could Boost Port of Santos Efficiency

Favored by nature, the Port of Santos region needs only investments in navigation to unlock its full waterway potential and balance out its freight transport matrix.

João Gomes Ribeiro Neto, a consultant for the Port Authority of Santos (APS) and an expert in ports and waterways, participated in a 2010 study that mapped the region’s potential.

“Inland navigation could undoubtedly distribute cargo across multimodal and industrial platforms,” says Ribeiro Neto regarding the role of waterways in increasing the logistical and operational efficiency of the Port of Santos.

According to the study, the region that comprehends Santos has 195 kilometers of waterway networks, with 35 kilometers of navigable routes, meaning there are no restrictions on implementing waterways, which are already mapped.

“Ideally, you would have access options that do not involve Anchieta Road or the city, avoiding traffic. With distribution platforms and containers transported from barges to these platforms, then continuing their journey by trucks or trains, you optimize logistics, saving time. This way, the vessel can unload everything quickly and depart,” explains Ribeiro Neto.

The engineer points out that one of the advantages of inland navigation is not being dependent on a very deep operational draft. “On a waterway, a barge with a draft of only 1.5 meters can carry 500 tons, the equivalent of 30 containers. So, waterways could deliver this cargo to points closer to the road,” he explains.

Public Policies

Promoting waterways in Brazil is one of the priorities of the Ministry of Ports and Airports (MPor), which intends to establish the National Directorate of Waterways.

Ribeiro Neto observes that the creation of this directorate and the approval of the legal framework, the so-called “BR dos Rios,” facilitate the promotion of the waterway mode. Still, he makes a caveat: “It is necessary to have people with technical knowledge in the National Directorate of Waterways for the development and implementation of waterway projects.”

Antaq

On November 23, during the Antaq Summit, organized by Grupo Tribuna in Santos, Eduardo Nery, the Director-General of the National Agency for Waterway Transportation (Antaq), highlighted the advantages of the waterway mode.

“Among transportation modes, the waterway emits the least carbon, four times less than a highway. It presents significant advantages from an environmental, economic, and operational standpoint. This is another priority that the agency has been working on. There are four projects,” he commented.

Nery also plans to launch the first tenders in 2025. “Next year, we want to launch public hearings, and if everything goes well, in the first quarter of 2025, we will already be at B3 (São Paulo Stock Exchange), conducting the first auctions of waterway concessions. That is the goal we are working on.”

Regarding the Tietê-Paraná Waterway, which would benefit the flow of cargo destined for the Port of Santos, Nery stated that it is “not among these first four projects. It is within the Strategic Axes of the PGO (General Plan of Waterway Grants), but will be studied subsequently.”

Potential in São Vicente

The allocation of areas for the expansion of the Santos Port polygon in São Vicente is beginning to take shape. The municipality will form a technical working group to select feasibility study areas. In the same vein, discussions about creating a waterway and leveraging the city’s potential are gaining traction.

The Secretary of Commerce, Industry, and Port Affairs (Secinp) of São Vicente, Guilherme Guzzi, believes that waterways make sense since the city is rich in water sources. “But we have to consider local aspects, something beneficial for the entire region.”

The secretary said no municipal project for inland navigation currently exists, but the topic is relevant and will be studied.

Port Expansion

However, the proposal to allocate areas for port expansion continues to advance. According to Guilherme Guzzi, the municipality will create a technical group soon. “Yesterday (Monday), we participated in a technical meeting to discuss the Santos Port Polygon in São Vicente and made a sketch of possible areas that will be studied for feasibility. After this meeting, a technical working group will be formed to finalize the study and define the final areas.”

Guzzi says the expectation is for one or two more meetings. “So that everything is discussed, and no loose ends are left. We are just defining the dates.”

Source: A Tribuna

Click here to read the original text: https://www.atribuna.com.br/noticias/portomar/hidrovias-ampliariam-eficiencia-logistica-e-operacional-do-porto-de-santos

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