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This briefing outlines the pilotage rules for ocean vessels entering the river ports of the Brazilian Amazon
Entering the Amazon
Amazon River (North Bar)
Foreign vessels arriving from the Atlantic and heading to ports on the Western side of the Amazon, such as Manaus, Itacoatiara, Novo Remanso, Santarém, Juruti, and Trombetas, enter the inland waterways through the Barra Norte (North Bar), northwest of Marajo Island in the State of Amapá, via the Grande do Curuá channel.
Pilotage between the North Bar and Fazendinha Pilot Station off Macapá is optional. Inbound ships must obtain clearance from the maritime, port health, and immigration authorities at Fazendinha before sailing upriver. Pilotage is compulsory from Fazendinha onwards. Table 1
The recommended sailing draft at the North Bar is 11.50 metres. Vessels leaving with a deeper draft must take a pilot between Fazendinha P/S and the North Bar, where otherwise pilotage is facultative. Since 2020, cargo ships, predominantly bulk carriers loaded with grains and bauxite, have been gradually allowed, on an experimental basis, to depart from the North Bar through the so-called Arco Lamoso (“Muddy Arc”, a stretch some 146 miles off Macapá with a fluid mud bottom) with a higher draft. As explained in this article, vessels can volunteer to sail in these trials with drafts of up to 11.90 metres, provided they meet specific conditions imposed by the local maritime authority.
Despite the Amazon River’s average depth of about 50 meters, with some stretches as deep as 120 meters during the rainy season, the broad mouth of the Amazon is prone to shoals and frequent changes in navigation channel depths and contours. The navigation buoys along the Grande do Curua channel are often unlit, misplaced or missing.
Pará River
Southeast of the Marajó Island, the Pará River is the gateway for ships calling at ports in Belem (including Outeiro and Miramar) and Vila do Conde in Barcarena in the Eastern Amazon. It also allows access for small vessels and barge convoys to the Amazon River through the Breves Straights.
Ships can reach the ports downstream of the Pará River using the Quiriri (or Marajó) channel on the insular bank, the usual choice for self-piloted vessels with a draft of up to 12.20 metres and not carrying dangerous goods. Vessels not taking pilot at the optional stretch of the Quiriri channel must do so from off Mosqueiro Island. Alternatively, ships can enter through the Espadarte (or Taipu) channel on the continental bank, where pilotage is mandatory throughout, with a draft restriction typically around 11 metres.
Since 2019, the local maritime authority has been conducting trials to increase the maximum allowed draft of ships navigating the Quiriri channel, where the usual draft limitation is around 13.50 meters. Starting in 2022, bulkers departing from the grain elevators of Vila do Conde in Barcarena were allowed to sail with drafts ranging from 13.50 m up to 13.80 m. Currently, cargo ships can leave the Eastern Amazon with drafts between 13.81 m and 13.90 m under certain conditions.
As detailed in this article, plans are underway for a second phase to increase the draft limit along the Quiriri channel to 14 metres. However, tankers and vessels carrying dangerous goods or pollutants are not eligible to participate in these trials.
Pilotage regulations
Maritime authority
The Directorate of Ports and Coasts (DPC) of the Brazilian Navy oversees pilotage regulations in Brazil. It determines where pilotage services are mandatory or optional and specifies which types of ships are exempt. The DPC also conducts administrative inquiries and imposes sanctions for violations of the pilotage regulations.
National Pilotage Council
The National Pilotage Council (Conapra) is a non-profit association that represents Brazilian maritime pilots and assists in supervising pilots, pilot boats, pilot stations and other necessary infrastructure. Conapra is also tasked with selecting, training, and monitoring the performance of pilots and trainee pilots. It represents professional maritime pilots before the federal government and other authorities on pilotage matters.
Legal framework
National pilotage services are regulated by the Maritime Authority Standards for Pilotage Services (NORMAM-311/DPC), issued by DPC, and Law 9,537/1997, as recently amended.
In the Amazon ports, river pilotage and other aspects of inland navigation are regulated by local maritime authorities through specific regional standards and procedures, which include:
- NPCF-CFAOC-2024: Standards and Procedures of the River Captaincy of the Western Amazon (Manaus)
- NPCF-CFS-2023: Standards and Procedures of the River Captaincy of Santarém (Santarém)
- NPCP-AOR-2022: Standards and Procedures of the Port Captaincy of the Eastern Amazon (Belém)
- NPCP-CPAP-2021: Standards and Procedures of the Port Captaincy of the Ports of Amapá (Macapá)
The local maritime authority oversees the pilot service activities and investigates ship casualties and navigation-related incidents within its geographic jurisdiction without prejudice to the intervention of other public authorities.
Pilotage zones
The DPC is responsible for designating pilotage zones (ZP), specific geographical areas that require uninterrupted pilotage services due to the local environment, conditions and peculiarities that make it difficult for oceangoing vessels to navigate safely.
The national port system is divided into 22 ZPs operated by DPC-certified pilots organised into dozens of pilot associations. Each ZP may have multiple pilot associations following the local maritime authority’s standards and rules. Three distinct ZPs cover the Amazon ports. (Table 3)
| Pilotage Zone | Area of coverage |
|---|---|
| ZP-1 Fazendinha ↔ Itacoatiara | ZP-1 is Brazil’s longest pilotage zone, stretching across three states from the mouth of the Amazon River to Itacoatiara. Pilotage is neither compulsory nor customary between the North Bar (Buoy 2 up the Grande Curuá channel) and Fazendinha P/S (parallel 00°03’S) except in certain conditions. However, pilotage between Fazendinha and Itacoatiara up the river is mandatory, including access from the South Bar and Mosqueiro P/S through the Breves Straights, southwest of Marajó Island. Pilotage between Fazendinha P/S and the North Bar is compulsory for vessels sailing with drafts greater than 11.50 metres. |
| ZP-2 Itacoatiara ↔ Tabatinga | Pilotage is compulsory throughout the entire stretch of ZP-2 in the State of Amazonas, from Itacoatiara upriver to Tabatinga, at the triple border with Peru and Colombia to the far western end of the Brazilian Amazon. Vessels sailing with pilots from ZP-1 upriver Itacoatiara must switch to ZP-2 pilots. Likewise, ships sailing down the Amazon from Manaus or beyond with ZP-2 pilots on board must switch to ZP-1 pilots in Itacoatiara. |
| ZP-3 Belém ↔ Barcarena | Its jurisdiction is from the Quiriri (or Marajo) channel or Espadarte Island at the mouth of the Pará River, from the pilot waiting point downstream of the outer edge of the Xingu and Cabeço do Norte Banks, and downstream of Baixo Espadarte towards the ports of Belém and Vila do Conde in Barcarena, and access to the Breves Straights southwest of Marajó Island. Pilotage along the Quiriri channel is only compulsory if the vessel carries dangerous goods or has a draft over 12.20 m. Incoming ships that opted not to take a pilot at the optional stretch of the Quiriri must do so from Mosqueiro Island onwards. Pilotage in the Espadarte channel is mandatory regardless of the sailing draft. |
The areas where mandatory pilotage is required and the specific pilot pickup point may vary depending on the type of vessel, cargo, draft upon arrival, and other factors.
Application and exemptions
Cargo ships over 500 GRT must have pilots on board when navigating areas where pilotage service is mandatory, with the following exceptions:
- Brazilian-flagged ships exclusively classified for inland navigation
- Brazilian-flagged vessels of any type up to 2,000 GRT
- Foreign-flagged vessels up to 2,000 GRT, provided they are chartered by a Brazilian company headquartered and operated in the country under the command of Brazilian captains
- Navigation support ships up to 3,000 GRT provided they:
- Fly the Brazilian flag or are chartered by a Brazilian company based in the country and commanded by Brazilian captains,
- are equipped with auxiliary manoeuvring devices, such as bow thrusters, stern thrusters, azimuthal propulsion or similar, DGPS and active AIS
- Navigation support ships greater than 3,000 GRT but less than or equal to 5,000 GRT, provided they meet the above criteria, possess a certificate of exemption issued by DPC, and are commanded by a duly trained and licensed Brazilian captain.
Pilotage costs
Service takers and pilot associations freely negotiate pilotage prices, terms and conditions. These negotiations typically take place between shipowners’ and shipping agents’ unions and pilot associations. To prevent disruptions to these services of public interest and to address practices of economic abuse, the maritime authority may exceptionally set the price of pilotage services in each pilotage zone for up to twelve months, extendable for an equal period.
Local requirements
Pilot shifts
Two pilots (plus any trainee pilot) are needed for river passages lasting longer than six hours, as is the case for most stretches covered by ZP 1 and ZP-2. Pilots work in six-hour shifts.
The pilot must promptly communicate to the maritime authority any fact or occurrence that poses a risk to the safety of waterway traffic, human life and the environment, such as weather conditions or adverse situations, navigation accidents and hazards, or technical deficiencies on the ship or its manning.
Tugs
Tugboats are necessary for berthing and unberthing manoeuvres at most Amazon ports. Some terminals require tugboats (and sometimes pilots) to remain on standby throughout the vessel’s port stay. At some terminals, ship manoeuvres are only allowed during daylight hours.
Charts
Exemption of paper nautical charts is allowed on the Amazon when the vessel is equipped with an Electronic Charts Display and Information System (ECDIS), using Official Electronic Nautical Charts (ENC) and a second ECDIS as a backup of the primary system, as established by IMO regulations.
Navigation equipment
Under the relevant maritime authority standards, oceangoing cargo vessels entering the Amazon ports must have minimum navigation equipment in full operation, including at least one operative echosounder, two radars and two anchors ready to deploy.
Master authority and obligations
According to relevant regulations, the pilot is a professional advisor to shipmasters. The presence of a pilot on board does not relieve or diminish the captain’s overriding authority and responsibility for ensuring safe navigation, protecting human life, and safeguarding the environment and ship’s property.
NORMAM-311/DPC outlines the master’s responsibilities during navigation pilotage as follows:
- inform the pilot about the vessel’s manoeuvring conditions;
- provide the pilot with all the material elements and information needed to perform the service, particularly the navigation draft;
- monitor the pilotage service and report any abnormalities to the maritime authority;
- If the pilotage is deemed dangerously conducted, the master should dismiss the pilot’s assistance and request an immediate replacement. In such a case, the master must submit a written report to the maritime authority within 24 hours, explaining the technical grounds for standing down the pilot;
- accommodate the pilot on board under the same conditions offered to the ship officers. If two pilots need to board, the master may decide, based on the available onboard accommodation, to have individual or shared cabins for the pilots;
- comply with national and international safety rules, especially those concerning pilot boarding and disembarking; and
- not dismiss the pilot before the pilot dropoff point when sailing areas of mandatory pilotage
Local risks
Navigation and security hazards
The Amazon region poses various navigation and security risks. In addition to natural riverine hazards, such as floating branches and vegetation debris, shoals, and seasonal droughts, there are concerns associated with river traffic and security threats. The latter include shipborne drug smuggling, illegal river mining, and armed robbery.
The Amazon River and its tributaries experience dramatic seasonal droughts and floods, leading to frequent changes in the contours of charted routes and river depths. Therefore, it is crucial for vessels to have updated charts and for captains to heed notices to mariners diffused by maritime authorities. They should also maintain close contact with the local agents and be aware of draft limitations during passage along critical stretches and at the mouth of the river, which ultimately dictates the maximum sailing draft.
Given the widespread use of rivercraft in the region, in the absence of alternative modes of transport, it is little surprise that most navigation accidents reviewed by the Maritime Tribunal have occurred in the Amazon waterways. These typically involve passenger ferries and small crafts such as canoes, motorboats, and dinghies and often result in bodily injuries and loss of life.
While serious navigation accidents involving oceangoing ships, such as hard groundings, collisions, and oil spills, are relatively infrequent, when they do occur, they often pose significant challenges due to the scarcity of suitable transport infrastructure, local material resources and expertise, making resolution more time-consuming and costly than if they had occurred anywhere else in the country. Additionally, when navigation incidents happen under pilotage or after the window for cancelling the pilot’s hiring has passed, extra pilotage charges can significantly add to the ship operator’s losses.
Practical recommendations
To mitigate local risks, shipmasters and crews visiting Amazon ports should exercise caution concerning navigation hazards and security risks. They should prepare a proper passage plan and implement necessary preventive measures outlined in the ISPS Code and the ship security plan. Particular attention should be given to:
- Ensuring nautical charts are up to date and navigation equipment is in perfect working condition before entering the Amazon
- Adhering to procedures and rules set by the local maritime authority and following the notices to mariners and radio navigational warnings issued by the Brazilian Navy
- Maintaining a permanent watch on VHF channel 16
- Being vigilant for barge convoys and small craft, such as barges, riverboats, mining rafts and canoes, many of which are made of wood and undetectable by the ship’s navigation equipment.
Above all, shipowners and masters of vessels calling at the Brazilian Amazon ports must check in advance with local agents and pilot stations for any draft limitations and navigation restrictions in access channels, port terminals and inner anchorage. Draft restrictions in the Amazon are subject to frequent change without prior notice.
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