The Interinstitutional Technical Committee of the Navegue Simples program, coordinated by the Ministry of Ports and Airports, held its first ordinary meeting of 2026 last Friday (March 13), charting the course for the "2nd Wave" of deliverables. The meeting assessed results and set targets to unlock investments and modernize Brazilian port management, with a focus on legal certainty and reduction of the so-called "Brazil Cost."
At the meeting, a Working Group (WG) focused on new business opportunities was created. The objective is to study and prospect technological trends for unconventional use of public port assets, mapping trends in energy transition, sustainable fuels and sanitation, aligning national infrastructure with global demands.
"Navegue Simples is not just a management effort, it is a shift in the country's logistics mindset. Debating the program's direction and listening to the sector is fundamental so that solutions are not confined to normative acts," said Tetsu Koike, Director of Sectoral Policies, Planning and Innovation at the Ministry of Ports and Airports.
The action dashboard, under development, was also presented, which will allow online monitoring of program activities by WG. In this environment, it will be possible to integrate with external systems from other agencies such as the Secretariat of Union Assets (SPU), National Secretariat of Ports (SNP) and Ibama. The objective is to provide transparency to actions and facilitate dialogue among members of the six WGs that make up Navegue Simples.
In parallel, the Government is working on a new interministerial ordinance to replace current rules for public water concessions (SPU Ordinance 7.145/2018), focusing on ensuring legal certainty for facilities outside the organized port area. There is also an effort to reduce the time for economic-financial rebalancing of lease contracts, which currently takes around two years, which includes the publication of a new EVTEA Manual (Technical, Economic and Environmental Feasibility Studies) still this year.
According to Renildo Barros, Superintendent of Concessions at Antaq, "the objective is to confer greater autonomy, speed and efficiency to port investments. EVTEA represents a complex stage in the decision-making process and, combined with investment monitoring, ends up demanding significant time and resources from both the private sector and public authorities. The proposal is to make this process more agile, stimulating new investments and reducing bureaucratic obstacles."
Environment
Sustainability and innovation in the port sector were also addressed in the debate on adapting Ibama's normative instructions to recent changes in the General Environmental Licensing Law (15.190/2025) and the ongoing public consultation to improve the National Policy for Port Research, Development and Innovation.
The program has also promoted greater integration between public agencies and the private sector, strengthening institutional coordination and information exchange. "This synergy has contributed to making processes more predictable and efficient, including on environmental issues, by bringing together the areas responsible for port planning, asset management and environmental licensing," says Koike. "As a result, initiatives aimed at harmonizing procedures, reducing regulatory overlaps and developing solutions that reconcile expansion of port infrastructure with sustainability and environmental protection are advancing," he concludes.
Calendar
For 2026, the Navegue Simples Program committee confirmed the action calendar: on May 5 and 6, the Innovation Caravan will be held at the Port of Paranaguá (PR); the ports of Maceió (AL), Rio Grande (RS) and Navegantes (SC) have dates scheduled in July and September. Rio de Janeiro hosts the Inova Portos event in June and on September 30 the 2nd Wave of the program will be launched.
Source: https://www.gov.br/portos-e-aeroportos/pt-br/assuntos/noticias/2026/03/programa-navegue-simples-apresenta-calendario-e-avanca-na-desburocratizacao-do-setor-portuario
