Brazil, Paraguay and Bolivia advance joint model for the Paraguay River Waterway

A new round of negotiations on the waterway is expected to take place in the second half of this month (Confederação Nacional do Transporte/Disclosure)

The Ministry of Ports and Airports (MPor) announced that Brazil, Paraguay and Bolivia are making progress in developing a shared management model for the Paraguay River Waterway, a strategic corridor for inland waterway transportation in South America and for regional logistics integration. Last month, representatives of the three countries discussed, via videoconference, an international agreement aimed at establishing shared governance and a future concession for the waterway.

The initiative seeks to strengthen regional integration and improve the efficiency of inland waterway transportation, reinforcing trade among the countries and promoting the development of communities that depend on the river, according to MPor.

The Paraguayan government presented a proposal to update the management model, focusing on modernizing the concession framework and strengthening coordination among the countries along the waterway.

According to the National Secretary for Waterways and Navigation, Otto Burlier, the proposal provides for greater cooperation among the participating countries. “The proposal seeks to expand coordination among the countries and ensure greater efficiency in navigation and cargo transportation along the waterway, with regulatory predictability and legal certainty throughout the concession period”, he said.

The proposal includes the provision of essential navigation services, such as buoyage and nautical signaling, hydrological monitoring and operational communications, as well as the maintenance of navigability conditions. It also envisages the use of technologies for vessel traffic monitoring and environmental oversight, with a focus on improving efficiency and operational safety.

The model under discussion provides for the creation of a trilateral mechanism to oversee the concession, with common rules for operational coordination, supervision and management of the waterway corridor.