Brasília, October 21, 2026 – The National Waterway Transportation Agency (ANTAQ) has intensified its monitoring of navigation and operational conditions at crossings in the Amazon due to the impacts caused by the drought. This Tuesday (20), Agency teams conducted coordinated technical visits to the Igapó-Açu and Manaus–Careiro da Várzea crossings, with the participation of Director-General Frederico Dias, to verify service conditions, measures adopted in response to problems identified in recent weeks, and possible risks to the continuity of operations in the region.
The visits occurred simultaneously at both crossings. While the Director-General monitored the conditions of the Manaus–Careiro da Várzea connection, alongside the Director of Waterway Infrastructure of the National Department of Transport Infrastructure (DNIT), Edme Tavares de Albuquerque Filho, another ANTAQ technical team was in Igapó-Açu. The agenda involved dialogue with operators and agencies responsible for infrastructure, seeking to identify difficulties and discuss measures to reduce the impacts of the drought on the transport of passengers, vehicles, and goods.
At the Manaus–Careiro da Várzea crossing, located in the BR-319 corridor, one of the points evaluated was the formation of a sandbar in the navigation channel, which alters the passage conditions for vessels and may require dredging services. The delegation also verified the situation of the boarding and disembarking ramps, which may need adjustments due to the receding waters during the drought.
During the visit, the operation of the Rio Negro SPE Consortium, selected through ANTAQ's Public Call No. 01/2026 for the provision of waterway transport services for vehicles and passengers at the crossing, was also monitored.
These activities continue the work carried out by the Agency's inspection teams over the past few weeks, when navigation difficulties were identified and information was gathered to support the evaluation of necessary interventions.
Preventive Action
Discussions focused on navigation conditions and infrastructure needs to maintain the operation of the crossings during the drought. Among the measures evaluated are the possible dredging of the navigation channel and adjustments to the access ramps, interventions under the responsibility of DNIT.
"We are monitoring the problems that the drought has brought to the crossings and seeking to anticipate situations that may compromise the provision of services. We maintain dialogue with DNIT, which participated in these visits at our request, and with operators to identify risks and build solutions that help reduce impacts for the population," said Director-General Frederico Dias.
The delegation included the participation of DNIT's Waterway Engineering Coordinator, Luciano Moreira de Sousa Filho. From ANTAQ, the regional manager in Manaus, Samuel Sousa, and technician Marcello Ádamis participated. Representatives of the company responsible for the future dredging of the channel were also present.
The monitoring of the two crossings aims to support the articulation of measures among the involved agencies, respecting the competencies of each institution, and to anticipate possible operational difficulties during the drought. The information gathered may guide the evaluation of necessary measures to maintain navigation conditions and the continuity of services in the region.
