TCP, the company that administers the Paranaguá Container Terminal, will now operate with a draft of up to 13.30 meters. The expansion allows for the transport of approximately 400 additional TEUs of full containers per vessel.
The update — formalized by Portos do Paraná through Ordinance No. /2025 and approved by the Brazilian Navy and the Pilots — is supported by simulation studies commissioned by TCP, conducted in partnership with the University of São Paulo (USP), following the completion of the last rock removal campaign promoted by Portos do Paraná.
The new draft limits were defined according to the size of the vessels and were divided into two operational conditions; that is, with zero tide and positive tide. For vessels up to 300 meters in length overall (LOA), the draft at zero tide increases from 12.80 to 13.00 meters, and can reach 13.30 meters with 30 centimeters of positive tide.
Vessels from 336 to 366 meters maintain the limit of 12.80 meters at zero tide, but will now operate at 13.10 meters with 30 centimeters of positive tide and with the maximum draft of 13.30 meters when the tide reaches 50 centimeters — levels higher than those practiced by terminals in Santa Catarina, which operate with drafts between 11.00 m and 12.20 m, depending on the size of the vessels.
“In practice, the greater the authorized draft, the more cargo the vessel can carry per trip, generating a direct efficiency gain for shipping lines, importers, and exporters, without an increase in operational costs,” explains Rafael Stein, institutional and legal superintendent of TCP.
“Therefore, this expansion represents more than an operational achievement: it is the validation of a meticulous nautical engineering work that allows TCP to expand its transport capacity with complete safety,” he added.
TCP has already been operating 366-meter vessels since January 2024, when it received the MSC Natasha XIII, the first container carrier of this size to dock at a Brazilian terminal. Vessels of the same dimension began calling at Paranaguá since then, but were not yet using their full capacity due to depth restrictions.
With the new draft authorized by Portos do Paraná, these vessels are expected to call at the terminal more regularly and will depart more loaded, with better utilization of ballast, cargo, and tide window.
The approval of these new parameters is supported by technical studies conducted at the Center for Simulation and Training in Maritime Maneuvers of the Polytechnic School of USP, which used advanced mathematical modeling and high-precision simulators to test berthing and unberthing scenarios under various conditions of wind, current, and tide, including vessels of up to 368 meters LOA and 51 meters beam. The simulations involved the participation of technical teams from TCP, Portos do Paraná, the Brazilian Navy, and the Pilots Union, ensuring technical rigor and safety in defining the new operational limits.
As part of the improvements implemented, the studies also indicated the need to install an additional sensor on the tide gauges used for monitoring tide conditions, an investment made jointly by TCP and Paranaguá Pilots, benefiting the entire port sector.
This measure reinforces the reliability of the information provided to the pilots, ensuring greater precision in the definition of the docking windows and increasing the safety of navigation.
According to Julio Verner, president of the Sindicato de Prácticos, “the study and the recent investments were fundamental to safely increase the operational draft. This evolution ensures ideal conditions for operations with large vessels, reduces risks in complex maneuvers, and consolidates Paranaguá as a port prepared to meet the demands of the new generation of ships. It is an advance that combines technology, planning, and safety”.
Investments
Since 2024, the operational draft of the access channel increased from 12.10 to 12.80 meters at zero tide after the removal of approximately 20 thousand cubic meters of rocks in the Pedras Palanganas region. The fragmented material was donated to coastal municipalities for public works. The entire process was executed with preventive and mitigating measures and periodic monitoring of fauna, flora, and water quality.
Gabriel Perdonsini Vieira, Operations Director of Portos do Paraná, reinforces the strategic impact of the investments. “One of the major differences we had this year was the increase in our operational draft. We started to have 13.3 m for the export and import of solid bulk and now the increase to 13.3 m in the container segment. This is a major differentiator for our port, as it brings more competitiveness and undoubtedly influences the excellent movement results. We are increasing the operational draft to load and receive more cargo and dock larger ships, making our complex increasingly attractive and competitive”.
The draft increase also occurs at a time of structural transformation of the access channel. In October, the channel concession auction was held, which plans to increase the depth to 15.5 meters in the first five years of the contract, in addition to modernizing nautical signaling, carrying out new dredging, promoting environmental actions, and improving the waterway infrastructure. The estimated investment for the Port of Paranaguá is R$ 1.23 billion, accompanied by a 12.63% reduction in the Inframar fee paid by vessels, a benefit that depends on meeting the targets set out in the contract.
“With the future expansion of the channel to 15.5 meters, Paranaguá will position itself among the main deep-water ports in South America. The current authorization already generates immediate gains and is a decisive step towards receiving the new generation of container ships that will dominate global routes in the coming years,” Stein added.
TCP closed the first half of 2025 with 744,650 TEUs moved, remaining the largest container terminal in Southern Brazil and the third largest in the country, according to Antaq’s Waterway Statistics. The draft expansion reinforces its position as a strategic hub for foreign trade and consolidates its readiness to operate large vessels with even greater efficiency.
