With More Than R$500 Million Invested in 2025, Federal Government Sets Record for Waterway Investments

The Federal Government invested more than R$500 million in waterways throughout 2025, in initiatives aimed at modernizing infrastructure, expanding navigability, and strengthening the safety of inland water transport across all regions of the country. Coordinated by the Ministry of Ports and Airports (MPor), in partnership with the National Department of Transport Infrastructure (DNIT), the initiatives include construction works, dredging, nautical signaling, structural rehabilitation, and lock operations.

The resources benefited waterways in the Amazon region and other strategic corridors nationwide, with investments in new projects and infrastructure maintenance along the Madeira, Amazon, Solimões, and Tocantins rivers, as well as the Parnaíba Delta, the Grajaú, Pindaré, and Mearim rivers in Maranhão, and the Jacuí and Taquari rivers in Rio Grande do Sul.

Among logistics-related actions, the Tocantins River waterway received R$11.6 million in improvements to the navigation channel, aimed at facilitating vessel traffic and the flow of regional production.

On the Solimões River, approximately R$11 million was allocated to dredging operations aimed at ensuring basic navigability, safeguarding the movement of people, and providing services to riverside communities, especially during periods of drought.

The Minister of Ports and Airports, Silvio Costa Filho, highlighted the strategic importance of waterways for national integration. “We are investing to improve Brazilian waterways and ensure that inland water transport operates with greater safety and efficiency. These actions help reduce logistics costs, integrate regions, and promote development for those who need it most,” he said.

According to the National Secretary for Waterways and Navigation, Otto Luiz Burlier, the investments are aimed at ensuring year-round navigability of rivers. “These actions allow navigation to take place continuously, strengthening strategic routes for cargo transport and increasing safety for waterway users,” he explained.

For Edme Tavares, Director of the Aquatic Infrastructure Department at DNIT, “the partnership with the Ministry of Ports and Airports is essential to enable the implementation of public policies focused on inland navigation, promoting not only the country’s economic development but also positive social impacts in the regions served.”

River Terminals and Social Impact

The construction and expansion of river terminals received investments in several states. In Amazonas, cities such as Barcelos, Lábrea, Santo Antônio do Içá, São Gabriel da Cachoeira, and São Paulo de Olivença benefited from the projects. In Pará, resources were allocated to Juruti, Oriximiná, Conceição do Araguaia, Vitória do Xingu, and Abaetetuba. The municipality of Santana, in Amapá, received more than R$10 million, in addition to investments directed to cities in Alagoas and Bahia.

According to Eliezé Bulhões, Director of the Waterway Management Department at the National Secretariat for Waterways and Navigation, river terminals have a direct impact on people’s lives. “These facilities enable the safe transport of people and goods, facilitate access to basic services, and improve the daily lives of communities that depend on rivers for mobility,” he noted.

In southern Brazil, MPor invested R$3.2 million in dredging and nautical signaling works at Lagoa Mirim. In addition, R$12.8 million was allocated to restore the navigability of waterways in Rio Grande do Sul, which were affected by the 2024 floods.

Other initiatives included the operation of waterway terminals, which received R$155 million; lock operations, with R$46.6 million; and the rehabilitation of public structures—mainly in the Amazon River Basin—which alone accounted for more than R$174 million in investments.

Source: Ministry of Ports and Airports

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