Brazil’s Ministry of Ports and Airports has advanced a US$57 million concession project with the National Waterway Transportation Agency (ANTAQ) for the access channel to the Port of Itajaí in Santa Catarina, Brazil.

The project entails an investment of BRL311 million (US$57 million) to grant a 25-year concession for the expansion, maintenance and operation of the waterway access channel to the port. The channel is expected to accommodate increasing traffic, reaching an estimated 3.43 million TEUs (twenty-foot equivalent units) annually by the end of the concession period. Defined as a water area delineated by georeferenced coordinates, the concession includes periodic dredging, ongoing maintenance, nautical signalling and integrated waterway traffic management.

Following approval from the Federal Court of Accounts (TCU), Brazil’s Ministry of Ports and Airports will make the final revisions to the tender notice before forwarding it to ANTAQ, which will determine the auction date. The auction will mark the country’s second concession tender for the access channel of a public port.

In 2025, the Canal Galheta Dredging Consortium (CCGD), comprising FTS Participações Societárias, DEME Concessions NV and DEME Dredging NV, secured the concession for the access channel to the Port of Paranaguá in Paraná. The consortium prevailed over three rival bidders, including China Harbour Engineering Company (CHEC) Dredging, following a highly competitive bidding process.