Tapajós Waterway Reduces Emissions by Avoiding 20,000 Truck Trips per Year and Transports 1.2 Million m³ of Fuels
Strengthening Brazil’s inland waterway system is a strategic priority for energy security, logistics competitiveness, and emissions reduction. The Miritituba–Santarém corridor alone enables the annual transportation of approximately 1.2 million cubic meters of fuels and biofuels, including 840,000 m³ of petroleum products delivered to Miritituba and 360,000 m³ of biofuels shipped from the region. This volume is equivalent to approximately 20,000 truck trips per year that no longer need to travel on Brazilian highways.
Any interruption to the use of the waterway would require replacing river transportation with road transport, significantly increasing the risk of accidents due to the condition of local road infrastructure.
According to a study by Future Climate Group, inland waterway transport emits up to 73% less CO₂ than road transport and 36% less than rail transport.
Prioritizing waterway transportation—including in other regions of Brazil—helps reduce logistics costs, improve fuel supply reliability in the Northern Region, and mitigate recurring supply risks associated with dependence on road transportation. It also contributes to the decarbonization of the transportation sector by generating lower emissions per tonne-kilometer transported.
For the Brazilian Petroleum, Gas and Biofuels Institute (IBP), the modernization and concession of strategic waterways should be treated as a public policy priority, supported by clear targets for navigability, operational safety, and service continuity, while fully respecting existing environmental regulations and protecting Indigenous peoples. IBP emphasizes that, regardless of the legal framework adopted, the Amazon region’s waterways must be improved to enable the efficient and safe transportation of goods and services that are essential to local communities and the regional economy.
Waterway transportation offers substantial cargo-handling capacity with lower operating costs and reduced environmental impacts. It also supports multimodal logistics corridors that connect production, refining, distribution, and export activities. Studies conducted by Brazil’s National Waterway Transportation Agency (ANTAQ) indicate that well-structured waterways enhance logistics efficiency, reduce highway congestion, generate regional employment and income, and require lower investment than the construction of new highways or railways.
Recent experience in Northern Brazil demonstrates that inadequate maintenance and management of navigable channels increase the risk of vessel groundings, logistical disruptions, and operational constraints, with direct impacts on fuel supply, transportation costs, and CO₂ emissions.
When accompanied by effective governance, dredging, navigation aids, traffic management, and continuous environmental monitoring, waterway concessions can provide greater operational predictability and reduce systemic vulnerabilities. At the same time, they preserve access for riverside populations and traditional communities, which remain exempt from tariffs, while charges are concentrated on large cargo operators.
In addition to its logistical benefits, inland waterway transportation supports the energy transition agenda by reducing emissions and enabling the efficient transportation of biofuels and petroleum products.
