“Today, only 5% of goods transported in Brazil are carried by waterways. We currently use about 20,000 km for commercial navigation and have the potential to reach 42,000 km of navigability,” stated Otto Luiz Burlier, Director of the National Secretariat for Waterways and Navigation of the Ministry of Ports and Airports, during the session “DESATANDO NÓS: CRIANDO UM AMBIENTE ATRATIVO PARA REDUÇÃO DOS GARGALOS LOGÍSTICOS" (Untying Knots: Creating an Attractive Environment to Reduce Logistics Bottlenecks) on Tuesday (9) at Rio Pipeline & Logistics. He emphasized that waterway concessions will be decisive in offering a package of services, attracting private capital, reducing costs, and decreasing reliance on public resources, with auctions expected as early as the first half of 2025.

At the same session, Ana Mandelli, Executive Director of Downstream at IBP, highlighted the need to ensure legal certainty to enable investments in waterways, especially in the North, where drought hampers navigability and pressures the outflow of production from the Midwest.

Elaine Radel, from INFRA S.A., stressed that logistics planning must be treated as a State policy, with well-structured studies, public participation, and risk mitigation in concessions. Meanwhile, Lucas Caetano, partner at Leggio, pointed out opportunities in maritime and pipeline terminals in Paraná and in the multimodal growth of Pará, which combines rail and waterway flows as pathways to boost competitiveness in the logistics chain.

Pipeline multimodality to ease pressure on highways and railways

The integration of pipelines into multimodal projects in Brazil remains a challenge. During the panel “DESAFIOS PARA A INTEGRAÇÃO LOGÍSTICA: EXPLORANDO A MULTIMODALIDADE" (Challenges for Logistics Integration: Exploring Multimodality), Marcos Ortolan, Business Development Manager at Transpetro, highlighted that a single 10-inch pipeline is capable of transporting the weekly equivalent of an MR2 vessel, around 45,000 m³ of oil products. “Pipelines are the invisible backbone of our fluid logistics, capable of relieving highways and railways.”

Vinicius Patel, Director of Port Administration at Porto do Açu, noted that the lack of pipeline connections limits the ability to handle and attract new cargo. He recalled that Porto do Açu operates the world’s largest slurry pipeline, transporting 26 million tons of ore per year.

Igor Figueiredo, Commercial Director of General Cargo at Rumo, reinforced the need for synergy among modes. “This is not about competition, but about integration. Brazil needs all transport modes working together.”

Regulatory advances in the gas sector

Four years after the enactment of the New Gas Law, Brazil’s natural gas transportation industry is working to unlock investment in the sector. In the panel “Abertura do mercado e avanços regulatórios para expansão da rede de transporte" (Market Opening and Regulatory Advances for Expanding the Transport Network) the CEOs of the country’s main transporters — Erick Portela Pettendorfer (NTS), Jorge Hijjar (TBG), and Tomaz Guadagnin (TAG) — emphasized the benefits of the opening process and the need for legal certainty and a strong regulatory framework.

“We have seen major transformations since 2021, with an exponential increase in the number of contracts, driven by integration among transporters,” said Erick Portela Pettendorfer, CEO of NTS. Jorge Hijjar, CEO of TBG, pointed out biomethane as a new frontier, mentioning that TBG already has 17 letters of intent from producers interested in injecting renewable gas into the network. Tomaz Guadagnin, CEO of TAG, stressed the importance of dialogue and strengthening the regulatory model. “We are experiencing a very intense opening process — today we have 400 contracts. But we need to further increase market liquidity.”

Natural gas: fuel of the energy transition

In the session “Natural Gas in Brazil as a Transition Fuel and the Challenges of Licensing,” experts discussed investments in gas transport infrastructure and environmental challenges. Claudia Souza, Executive Manager at ATGás, highlighted the importance of the Coordinated Development Plan for the Transport System, which foresees R$50 billion in new pipelines, compressor stations, and delivery points.

Breno Pantoja, Head of the Strategic Studies and Projects Service at INEA, stressed the need for specific environmental licensing, while Leonardo Teixeira, Environmental Analyst at IBAMA, pointed out that environmental considerations must be included in all stages of project development, not just at the end. “This process removes bottlenecks and reinforces the climate agenda.” Thomaz Toledo, President of CETESB, emphasized natural gas’s contribution to air quality and pollution control, while also noting the challenges of meeting deadlines and the capacity of environmental agencies.

About Rio Pipeline & Logistics – Rio Pipeline & Logistics takes place at ExpoRio Cidade Nova from September 9 to 11. The event is sponsored by Petrobras (Master), TAG, TBG, and Transpetro (Diamond), NTS and Tenaris (Platinum), TechnipFMC (Gold), Rosen (Silver), and SLB + Enivibes, Solar Turbines, Tory Tech, Energia Latam, Ecopetrol (Bronze). It has a Strategic Partnership with the State of Rio de Janeiro’s Secretariat of Energy and Sea Economy. Institutional supporters include: ABCM, Abegás, AbesPetro, Abimaq, ABICAM, ABRACO, ABTL, AHK, Arpel, ATP, CTDUT, EIC, and Energeo. Media partners include: Eixos, Offshore, Oil & Gas Journal, Petro & Química, PTJ, TN Petróleo, and World Pipelines.