The access channel to the ports of Itajaí and Navegantes, in Santa Catarina, has lost approximately 30 centimeters of operational draft following a period of nearly two months without dredging.
The reduction can directly affect port logistics. The limitation may generate an impact of up to 10% on cargo movement at the Santa Catarina ports, for example.
In practice, the restriction makes it harder for larger vessels to enter, especially container ships – the type of cargo handled by both ports – which were already scheduled to berth in the region.
The dredging service was interrupted in early in the year and was only resumed in early April, through emergency contracting. Still, even after approximately one month of resumption, the port authority in charge – Codeba (Companhia Docas do Estado da Bahia) – has not submitted to the Port Authority (Capitania dos Ports) a new bathymetric survey, a document essential for defining navigation conditions.
Given the lack of an update, the Port Authority conducted, on Tuesday (28), an official verification that pointed to the need for an additional 30-centimeter clearance below the keel in operating areas.
The last available bathymetric survey was from January and was valid until March 22. Already on the 26th of that month, the Port Authority had warned the port authority of the risks in a document, at a time when the channel had no active dredging contract.
This is not the first time the region has faced the problem. In early 2025, the service was also interrupted, at the time due to lack of payment to Van Oord, the company responsible for dredging – the same firm that resumed operations under the current emergency contract.
The situation adds to a recent history of administrative instability and political disputes involving the Port of Itajaí. Following financial and operational difficulties at the then local superintendency, management was transferred, in January 2025, to the Santos Port Authority, at the request of the Ministry of Ports and Airports.
The change, however, intensified political tensions in the region. The manager appointed at the time, João Paulo, was a pre-candidate for the mayorship of Itajaí and was nominated by the PT, which generated friction with the then mayor of the city, who is from the PL. Faced with the impasse, the federal government decided to transfer the port administration once again, this time to Codeba.
Initially, the company did not intend to carry out a new emergency contracting for dredging, prioritizing the structuring of the permanent concession of the access channel, according to reporting. However, after pressure from industry stakeholders and dialogue with the ministry, the decision was reversed.
Currently, the concession project for the access channel of the Port of Itajaí is under review at the TCU (Federal Court of Accounts). The expectation, according to sources involved, is that the process will be brought before the Court's plenary in June.
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