• 4 min de lectura
• 4 min de lectura
Technological innovation is increasingly occupying a larger space in the modernization of the Brazilian port and waterway sectors. An example is the use of drones by the Agência Nacional de Transportes Aquaviários (Antaq) to expand the inspection capacity of operations, vessels, and facilities in extensive or difficult-to-access areas.
The initiative is aligned with the innovation agenda structured by the Ministério de Portos e Aeroportos for the sector. In September 2026, the MPor established the National Policy for Port Research, Development, and Innovation (PD&I-Portos), which sets guidelines for incorporating studies and modernization into the planning of port authorities. The policy seeks to stimulate solutions capable of contributing to the efficiency, sustainability, and competitiveness of the sector.
More than incorporating new technology, the use of drones responds to a concrete inspection challenge: monitoring a broad and diverse universe of operations spread over large territorial extensions. In inland navigation, for example, actions include ferry services in remote locations and vessel monitoring. In ports, teams also inspect facilities, yards, accesses, and operations.
At Antaq, the use of drones began to be tested in 2016 and was formalized in 2019, at the Unidade Regional de Porto Velho (UREPV), with the training of civil servants to operate the equipment. The captured images began to support inspection activities and the production of information to guide the diligences.
The technology allows for the observation of points that can be difficult to reach in person, such as the sides (hulls) of vessels, distant piers, elevated equipment, conveyor belts, and navigation support facilities. In inland navigation, images of vessel hulls can help inspectors visually verify possible signs of overloading. They also help identify situations where there is suspicion of unauthorized service provision.
The gain lies in the ability to obtain a broader view of the operation before or during an inspection action. With the information produced by the overflight, civil servants can identify situations that deserve attention and direct in-person action to the points that require more detailed verification.
Drones are also used to monitor vehicle flow on access roads to ports, yard occupancy, and movement in terminals. High-definition images can be used in the preparation of reports and analyses, in addition to allowing area measurements, volumetric calculations, and the production of three-dimensional models.
In practice, the resource expands the quantity and quality of information available for inspection. In a sector that brings together operations distributed across different regions and with diverse characteristics, this capability helps to make fieldwork more targeted.
Antaq informs that the use of drones contributes to increasing the safety and efficiency of waterway and port activities, as well as supporting the identification and characterization of possible irregularities. The images, however, are support instruments: any infraction must be analyzed and formalized according to the Agency's inspection procedures.
The ability to obtain information from different points and more quickly can help direct available resources to situations that require greater attention. The drone, therefore, does not replace the presence of inspectors, but expands the information available to teams to plan and execute field actions.
The use of drones shows how innovation can be applied to a concrete need of waterway infrastructure: inspecting services and operations that occur in large areas and, often, in locations with limited access.
By expanding observation capacity, producing more detailed records, and helping to direct diligences, the technology contributes to a more comprehensive and efficient inspection. The expected result is an action with better information to monitor the regularity of services, strengthen the safety of operations, and protect users of waterway transport.
