Navy authorises draft increase at Quiriri Channel

Update 6 August 2023:

Following continuous hydrographic monitoring of the Quiriri Channel by the Brazilian Navy and private stakeholders, the Port Captaincy of the Eastern Amazon (CPAOR) authorised a further increase in the current draft restriction along the Quiriri Channel, an important passage between the Atlantic Ocean and Northern Arc’s river ports of Belém, Outeiros and Vila do Conde in Barcarena, as well as Breves Straits.

The maritime authority allowed vessels to navigate the Quiriri Channel with a maximum draft of between 13.81 m and 14 m, in two phases.

Firstly, vessels with drafts from 13.81 m to 13.90 m will be able to navigate that channel for an experimental period of eight months. From then on, in the second phase, which should last six months, permission will be granted to manoeuvre vessels with drafts between 13.91 m and 14 m, as long as at least fifteen manoeuvres have been carried out in the first phase and no incident that would jeopardise human life, navigation safety and the environmental has occurred.

For both phases, concerned parties must take the following mitigating measures:

1. The owner, operator or agent of the vessel must notify the CPAOR at least 72 hours in advance of the intended manoeuvre;
2. The pilot association will select pilots with more than ten years of experience in Pilotage Zone 3 (ZP-03) to perform the manoeuvre;
3. The pilot selected for the manoeuvre must present a passage plan considering the predicted tide height before crossing the critical stretches of the channel and maintain a minimum under-keel clearance (UKC) of 1.50 m for all ships, especially those in the vicinity of the coordinates Lat. 00°30´ S and Lon. 048° 17’ W to the pair of buoys 2 and 3 as well as on the route along the Coroa Seca Bank
4. The pilot must assess the possible need to anchor during the crossing and, if necessary, do so in a suitable area, with the consent of the shipmaster, until the next tide allows safe navigation;
5. The master, under the guidance of the pilot, must maintain an appropriate speed to deal with the squat effect;
6. The maximum dimensions for ships to navigate the channel with the increased limits are a length overall of 292 m and a beam of 45 m;
7. The use of ballast is authorised to reach the draft limit for the respective phase;
8. Within five working days, the pilot must submit a report on the passage through the channel and the passage plan, including the UKC observed during the navigation.

Ships carrying dangerous goods are not authorised to participate in these trial manoeuvres.

Attached is a copy of Ordinance No. 83/CPAOR of 6 July 2023, which allowed the draft increase on an experimental basis.

The Amazon ports of Belém and Vila do Conde in Barcarena, home to modern grain terminals that help outflow Brazilian agriproducts, are accessible from the Atlantic Ocean through the Quiriri Channel or the Espadarte Channel, in Pará River, Brazil’s Northern Arc.

After a trial period initiated in 2019, the Harbour Master of the Eastern Amazon has now authorised vessels to depart from port terminals of Belém and Barcarena with drafts of 13.50 metres up to 13.80 metres.

The draft increase represents a substantial increment of the payload; however, vessels sailing with these drafts must adhere to strict requirements, namely:

• The shipmaster and pilot must consider the height of the tide before navigating critical stretches of the river, where a 1.50 m under-keel clearance must be kept with speed compatible with the squat effect of each vessel
• Vessels may unberth in ebbing tide, up to a maximum of 2 (two) hours before low tide (with reference to Belém), from the public port of Vila do Conde and the private grain terminals of Barcarena (Hidrovias do Brasil, ADM’s TGPM and Unitapajós’ TERFRON)
• At least two tugboats must be engaged during the unberthing manoeuvre
• Port Captaincy must be informed by email at least 72 hours in advance of vessels unmooring with drafts from 13.50 m to 13.80 m, regardless of information logged on the Paperless Port System (PSP)
• Pilot station must designate a pilot with more than ten years of experience working Pilotage Zone 3 (ZP-03) and present the respect passage plan by the pilot assigned
• The stretches between the Bank of the Coroa Seca and the point of coordinates Latitude 00° 30′ S and Longitude 048° 17′ W until the pair of buoys 2 and 3 are critical, considering the tide height at the high tide
• Observe the minimum tide height values, especially in Soure and Guarás Island, to assess the need for anchoring during the crossing, provided that is advised by the pilot and consented by the shipmaster, until the next favourable tide

The previous regulation of the maritime authority (Ordinance No. 15/CPAOR of 18 February 2019) has been repealed and the current Ordinance can be downloaded from the link below.

Published 10/08/2022. Last updated: 06/08/2023

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