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The Porto Piauí Company and SC Portos signed a memorandum of understanding to study the feasibility of a new cabotage route between the Piauí coast and Santa Catarina terminals. According to NSC, the agreement provides for an analysis of costs, cargo flows, and operational models for maritime cargo transport under the BR do Mar program.
The Porto Piauí Company and SC Portos Port Operations formalized last week a memorandum of understanding that could give rise to a new maritime route for cabotage between the Northeast and the South of Brazil. The agreement, signed after a meeting between executives from both companies at Intermodal South America 2026, in São Paulo, provides for joint studies on the feasibility of connecting the Port of Luís Correia, in Piauí, to the Port of Itajaí, in Santa Catarina. The intention is to create a maritime transport alternative to long-distance road freight, which currently increases logistical costs for companies in the northeastern interior.
The initiative is aligned with the federal BR do Mar program, a government policy that seeks to encourage navigation between ports in the same country. The Brazilian waterway sector moved 1.4 billion tons in 2025, and cabotage alone reached 303.7 million tons, a growth of 3.4% compared to the previous year, according to data from the National Waterway Transport Agency. It is in this expansion scenario that the possibility of a new route capable of redesigning the logistics of goods between two extremes of the Brazilian coast arises.
What the agreement between Porto Piauí and SC Portos provides for
The memorandum of understanding signed by the two companies is not an operational contract; it is a document that formalizes mutual interest and establishes the parameters for a joint technical study. In practice, the agreement determines that the parties will analyze operational models, cost structure, and potential cargo flows to understand if the new cabotage route makes economic sense.
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The partnership also provides for the appointment of representatives from each side to coordinate research and share operational information. SC Portos brings its expertise in international logistics and terminal operations, while Companhia Porto Piauí contributes with knowledge about regional demand and the state’s cargo potential. The commercial director of Porto Piauí, Igor Pontes, stated that the terminal’s business plan will define which cargoes to prioritize and which operators to attract.
Which routes are being studied
Initial surveys indicate that the new route would connect the coast of Piauí to the coast of Santa Catarina, functioning as a maritime logistics corridor between two extremes of the national coast. The route could also include stops at the Port of Santos, in São Paulo, expanding the operation’s reach to three regions of the country. In the South, the terminals of Itajaí, Navegantes, and Paranaguá already concentrate a significant part of domestic container operations.
The Federal University of Santa Catarina is already conducting, through its specialized laboratory, the business plan for the Private Use Terminal of Luís Correia. The studies include the identification of strategic outflow routes, a survey of logistical costs, and market analysis. The UFSC team was in Piauí in October 2024 for primary data collection and a visit to the port works. This academic work provides technical support to the new route and reduces the risk of decisions based solely on institutional optimism.
The Port of Luís Correia as a new logistics corridor
The Port of Luís Correia, also called Porto Piauí, is located at the mouth of the Igaraçu River, a branch of the Parnaíba River, and is in the implementation phase. The port complex will have specialized terminals for different types of cargo: fishing, general cargo, grains, minerals, and, in a more ambitious plan, a terminal dedicated to green hydrogen and ammonia. The adhesion contract with the Ministry of Ports and Airports was signed in 2024.
Cnaga, a company recognized in the operation of customs terminals, announced the construction of a unit within Porto Piauí with an initial investment of R$ 21 million. The terminal will occupy 27,000 square meters and will have the infrastructure for cargo and container transport. The forecast is that commercial operations will begin throughout 2026, which would make the new cabotage route viable with minimal infrastructure to receive vessels.
The BR do Mar program and the incentive to cabotage
The new route under study does not exist in isolation; it is part of a larger movement driven by the federal program BR do Mar. The policy was created to increase the supply of vessels in coastal navigation, reduce logistical costs, and enhance the competitiveness of maritime transport compared to road transport, which still concentrates the majority of domestic freight in Brazil.
Sector data helps to understand why cabotage is attracting more and more attention. Just the ports of the Northeast were responsible for 60.7 million tons transported by cabotage in 2025. The BR do Mar program facilitates the entry of new operators and optimizes the use of national port infrastructure, creating conditions for routes like the proposed one between Piauí and Santa Catarina to become economically sustainable.
The challenges that may hinder the new route
Despite the enthusiasm, sector operators are cautiously watching the next steps. The biggest challenge for the Port of Luís Correia is to become competitive in a market already contested by more established northeastern ports, such as Suape, in Pernambuco, and Pecém, in Ceará, which have more mature infrastructure for container handling. The existence of continuous demand is considered decisive to make any new cabotage route viable.
There are also pending regulatory steps. The operation depends on the completion of licensing processes with Antaq and the customs clearance of the terminal, two procedures that do not have a defined public deadline. The operational costs of cabotage in Brazil, including the price of marine fuel, port bureaucracies, and availability of vessels, also weigh in the balance. Without sufficient cargo scale and operational regularity, the new route risks not materializing.
What companies and regions can gain
If the new cabotage route materializes, the logistical impact would be felt at both ends. For companies in Piauí and the Northeast, maritime transport offers significantly lower costs per ton than long-distance road freight. The direct connection with Santa Catarina terminals would open access to Southern production chains without relying exclusively on trucks.
For Santa Catarina, the new route would increase the volume of cargo handled in its ports, which are already among the busiest in the country, with the Port of Itajaí surpassing 1.2 million tons in the first quarter of 2026 alone. The identified cargo potential for Piauí includes agribusiness products, fertilizers, fuels, and containers. Cabotage would transform the Piauí coast into a strategic maritime transport point in a chain that today practically ignores the state.
Do you believe that this new maritime route can really reduce transportation costs between the Northeast and the South, or do you think that regulatory and infrastructure challenges will prevent the project from materializing? Leave your opinion in the comments.
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