Ports and Climate Change

São Paulo – A study conducted by the National Waterway Transportation Agency (Antaq), with the participation of the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH, a German agency for technical cooperation, shows that the threat of gales looms over seven Brazilian ports, including Santos, the largest in Latin America and responsible for 27% of the country’s international trade. According to the study, in 11 of the 21 surveyed ports, it is estimated that rising sea levels will pose high or very high risks from 2030 onwards, which could become an obstacle for future port facilities on the Brazilian coast.

According to Antaq, the impacts on port operations due to climate change are already a reality, and if current conditions are maintained, there is a trend for worsening. Therefore, it is clear that measures need to be adopted to prevent or reduce the possibility of disasters due to climate change. As the study shows, the occurrence of gales, storms, and surges can lead to navigation interruptions in port regions and even to the flooding of terminal yards and nearby areas, such as urban zones.

The ports considered at high or very high risk of gales are Imbituba-SC, Santos-SP, Recife-PE, Rio Grande-RS, Salvador-BA, Paranaguá-PR, and Itaguaí-RJ. The projection is that by 2050, 16 public Brazilian ports may be in these conditions. Therefore, preparing the country to face this type of scenario is a task for governments at all levels, port authorities, Antaq, and other regulatory agencies. In this case, the ongoing process of port privatization, starting with the announced privatization of the port of Vitória-ES and the concession of 12 terminals in 2021, begins to cause concern for all companies operating in the field of foreign trade.

As is known, the transfer of operations to the private sector often leads to greater efficiency in port services, but it cannot be forgotten that every investor has, first and foremost, the goal of ensuring the return on their capital and then the highest possible profit. Therefore, expecting private initiative to take actions focused on sustainable urban development is nothing more than a summer dream.

Obviously, tasks of great magnitude such as increasing port draft or dredging work in estuary channels will continue to be the responsibility of the state, but it cannot be overlooked that these environmental impacts will undoubtedly increase the costs of maritime complexes and even the durability and resilience of port facilities and infrastructure. All of this suggests that port tariffs may undergo significant increases, with costs being passed on to importers and exporters, which could affect the figures of our foreign trade.

In any case, this concern expressed by Antaq with the mentioned study is already quite delayed, as the first port defense works against external events date back to the 1980s and were carried out in the United Kingdom and the Netherlands. In other words, this type of study should have been conducted here at least three decades ago, which highlights the lack of planning in the port sector.

Moreover, not to claim that there has never been any analysis on the subject, it should be remembered that in 2015, the Secretariat of Strategic Affairs of the Presidency of the Republic prepared the study “Brazil 2040,” which discussed the consequences of climate change and rising sea levels. However, to this day, there is no knowledge of any reaction or work execution by port authorities.

As Antaq points out in its study, ports are responsible for 95% of the country’s foreign trade flow, moving R$ 293 billion per year, equivalent to about 14.2% of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP). A more than relevant reason for the federal government to increase its attention to the sector.

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Liana Lourenço Martinelli, lawyer, postgraduate in Business Management and International Trade, is Manager of Institutional Relations at the Fiorde Group, composed of Fiorde International Logistics, FTA Transport and General Warehouses, and Barter International Trade. Email: fiorde@fiorde.com.br. Website: fiorde.com.br

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