By PortalPortuario Editorial Team
On Tuesday (2), the Ministry of Ports and Airports (MPor) held a meeting to advance the proposal for using the Merchant Marine Fund (FMM) in railway projects linked to port operations. Minister Silvio Costa Filho emphasized that the integration between railways and ports is essential to increase the country’s logistical competitiveness.
MPor presented the foundations of a program developed in partnership with the Ministry of Transport and the productive sector, which considers the potential of the FMM, currently focused on navigation and port infrastructure, to finance railway sections that directly serve ports or strategic corridors.
With approximately R$ 24 billion in cash, the fund has the capacity to support access works and expansions that reduce costs and increase operational efficiency.
Minister Silvio Costa Filho stated that the government is working to present, as early as January, a national credit program aimed at financing strategic railways for port operations.
“We are structuring a major program to strengthen railway financing with the support of the Merchant Marine Fund. When the railway reaches the port, we expand capacity, reduce logistical costs, and strengthen the entire port sector of the country,” he said.
The National Secretary of Railways, Leonardo Ribeiro, reinforced that the connection between the two modes is decisive for the success of the National Railway Policy and the new auction portfolio.
He recalled that the railway mode is responsible for a large part of Brazilian exports, including 95% of iron ore and 40% of agricultural bulk destined for ports.
The meeting also discussed the creation of an integrated map correlating existing railways, projects under execution, and planned expansions to ports, contributing to the technical prioritization of investments. Another point addressed was the expansion of private bank participation in financing, aiming to increase credit supply and accelerate project execution.
MPor reiterated that the FMM already includes port and waterway infrastructure operations and that any change to include railway projects depends on technical assessment and deliberation by the Merchant Marine Fund’s Board of Directors, in addition to a high-level governance decision by the Federal Government.
The agenda included the participation of the National Association of Railway Transporters (ANTF), MoveInfra, the Brazilian Association of Port Terminals (ABTP), and the Association of Private Port Terminals (ATP), which contributed with sector analyses and perspectives.
