Brazil’s first public-private dredging partnership

The contract marks a groundbreaking achievement in Brazil’s maritime industry for two key reasons: it is the first public-private collaboration on a dredging project of this scale, and part of the dredged sediment will be used to widen beaches in Itapoá, helping combat coastal erosion.

“With only 14 years of operation, we are already the third-largest container port in the country and are on our way to becoming the largest in South America,” said president of Porto Itapoá, Ricardo Arten.

“By increasing the channel depth to 16 metres, we will be able to handle up to 130,000 additional containers per month, amounting to an annual increase of 1.5 million containers, enhancing the competitiveness of Santa Catarina’s businesses.”

The expansion will establish Porto Itapoá as Brazil’s leading ‘first call’ port, generating an estimated RS15 billion (US$2.6 billion) for the Santa Catarina economy.

With an estimated investment of R$300 million (US$52.6 million), the project will allow for the docking of vessels up to 366 metres in length, making it the first Brazilian port complex capable of accommodating such large ships at full load capacity.

The dredging will remove approximately 12.5 million cubic metres of sediment, with 7 million cubic metres being used for beach widening in Itapoá. Construction is expected to begin in 2025 and finish by 2026.