By Redação PortalPortuario
The Ministry of Ports and Airports (MPor) has begun the /2026 cycle of maintenance dredging on the stretch between Manaus and Itacoatiara, to restore the natural navigability conditions and guarantee the transport of strategic inputs to the region. According to the National Secretariat of Waterways and Navigation (SNHN), teams also monitored, last week, the pre-dredging on the Coari–Codajás and São Paulo de Olivença–Benjamin Constant stretches, in the western region of Amazonas.
For the Minister of Ports and Airports, Silvio Costa Filho, the behavior of the Amazon rivers demands continuous attention. “Today, the water level of the region’s rivers is well above that recorded in 2024 during this same period, but we are reinforcing monitoring and anticipating silt removal and preventive dredging actions to ensure the navigational safety of small, medium, and large vessels, and allow for the transport of strategic inputs and the supply of the region’s communities,” he emphasized.
In recent years, navigation in the Amazon has faced strong fluctuations in river levels. In 2024, the situation became critical: in early October, the river gauge read 1,287 centimeters on the Rio Negro in Manaus, while the Rio Solimões showed very low levels, at 44 centimeters below average in Coari and 218 centimeters below in Tabatinga, due to lower rainfall in the region.
In 2025, there was a recovery: the Rio Negro reached 2,235 centimeters in Manaus — almost 10 meters above the previous year — and the Solimões returned to positive levels, with 928 centimeters in Coari and 328 centimeters in Tabatinga. Even so, in September, both rivers fell by about three meters, reinforcing the importance of periodic maintenance actions.
The National Secretary of Waterways and Navigation, Dino Antunes, emphasizes that the public policy for waterways seeks to provide structured responses to these challenges. “Constant monitoring and maintenance dredging are part of a broader planning, which guarantees predictability for transport, safety for the riverside population, and competitiveness for the Amazon’s productive chains,” he explained.
