Northern Arc: Draft Increases and New Safety ...
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The local maritime authority has issued a new ordinance regulating maximum drafts, mandatory pilotage, and navigation safety for vessels calling at the port complexes of Belém, Vila do Conde, and Barcarena, in the Western Amazon
New Regulatory Framework
The Command of the 4th Naval District of the Brazilian Navy has published Ordinance Nº 520/Com4ºDN, establishing operational guidelines for the Quiriri Channel, Mosqueiro Channel, and the Outeiro Port Terminal in Belém, at the mouth of the Pará River, Western Amazon.
Effective from 28 September 2026, this regulation revoked temporary trial regimes previously mandated under Ordinances nº 88/CPAOR (2021) and nº 83/CPAOR (2023), transitioning the region into a definitive regulatory framework.
Draft Increases
Quiriri Channel
Under the previous regime, vessels were gradually authorised to transit the Quiriri Channel with drafts of up to 14.00 metres on a trial basis. The 2023 regulation required a phased testing programme with extensive reporting requirements and excluded vessels carrying dangerous cargo from the higher-draft trials. The new local maritime regulation consolidates the experience gained during recent hydrographic monitoring and operational trials. It introduces a permanent draft limitation of 14.10 m for ordinary cargo vessels and 13.90 m for tankers and vessels carrying dangerous goods.
The transit between coordinates 00°30’ S / 048°17’ W and the pair of buoys No. 2 and No. 3 must be conducted on a rising tide. Vessels are limited to a maximum length overall (LOA) of 292 m and a beam of 45 m.
Pilotage in this navigation channel is compulsory for vessels drawing over 12.20 m and for all tankers and dangerous-goods vessels regardless of their draft. Furthermore, assigned pilots must possess more than five years of local navigation experience.
Mosqueiro Channel
The maximum authorised draft is set at 11.50 m for ordinary merchant vessels and 11.40 m for tankers or vessels carrying dangerous goods. Pilotage is compulsory for all vessels navigating this region.
Outeiro Terminal (Belém)
The maximum operating drafts at the Outeiro Port Terminal in Belém have been homologated by the maritime authority as follows:
- Berth 301A: 11 metres
- Berth 301B: 11 metres
- Berth 302: 10.5 metres
- Berth 102: 8 metres
- Berth 201: 7 metres
- Berth 202: 3 metres
Safety Requirements
- Under-keel clearance: All vessels navigating these regions must always observe a minimum UKC of 1.50 metres through both navigation channels.
- Critical stretches: Shipmasters must account for the hourly tidal height prior to entering critical stretches – specifically near Cabeço do Joca (buoys 4 and 6) and Coroa Seca (buoys 5, 10, and 12).
- Tidal anchorage: Safe anchorage areas should be used to await favourable tides based on pilot recommendations, and any emergency anchoring must be communicated to the Eastern Amazon Harbour Master’s Office (CPAOR) in Belém in advance for formal analysis and authorisation.
- Squat management: Vessels must regulate and adjust their transit speeds to minimise dynamic squat effects.
- Hydrographic maintenance: The port authority remains responsible for conducting regular hydrographic surveys to ensure safety parameters remain valid.
Commercial Significance
While the 10-centimetre draft increase in the Quiriri Channel increases cargo intake flexibility, the core benefit of the new regulation is long-term regulatory predictability. By formalising years of experimental trials within the Northern Arc logistics corridor, the changes provide long-term operational certainty to shipowners, charterers, traders, and terminal operators planning port calls in these ports in the Northern state of Pará
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