Communication breakdown Is an obstacle to sustainable progress among ports

The initiatives were discussed during the panel addressing climate maritime corridors and innovation, in addition to collective actions for decarbonization and the impacts on Brazil’s port and waterway sectors (Claudio Neves/Portos do Paraná)

The first proposals to advance the sustainability agenda at Brazilian ports and how to address them were discussed during the 1º Encontro COP Portos Sustentáveis, held this Tuesday (15th) at Palácio Taguaré, the administrative headquarters of the Port of Paranaguá (PR). The event was promoted by Grupo Tribuna.

This was the first of three in-person meetings of COP Portos, a commission led by Grupo Tribuna and composed of representatives from both the public and private sectors. The next meeting will take place in August at the Suape Industrial Port Complex (PE), and the final one will be held in September at the Port of Santos.

After the last meeting, the group will prepare a document containing sustainable proposals for the port sector, to be presented at the 30th United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP30), scheduled for November in Belém (PA).

The proposals were presented during the panel “COP 30 – Climate Maritime Corridors: Innovation and Collective Action for Decarbonization. Resilience of the Port and Waterway Sector.”

The Technical Director of the Associação Brasileira de Terminais Portuários (ABTP), Eduardo Bezerra, suggested focusing on innovation. “We have the capacity to innovate — there are countless examples here. Someone mentioned the word ‘connectivity,’ and we need to turn that into an active voice so others can be inspired by the experiences shared here. This innovation involves two aspects: some form of subsidy or incentive”, he stated.

Bezerra also suggested the participation of shipping companies in future meetings. “What is the ideal fuel of the future? That discussion involves the shipowners”, he pointed out.

Caio Cunha, Institutional and Governmental Relations Manager at Porto do Açu (RJ), emphasized that everyone must speak the same language. “We need to be measuring the same data in the same way so we can monitor our situation — without data, there is no management.” He gave the example of Amazonas, where measurement methods differ completely from those at the Port of Paranaguá. “Everyone needs to measure and report data the same way. For that, the role of Antaq (Agência Nacional de Transportes Aquaviários) is fundamental. Decarbonization routes already exist; what we need are immediate, low-cost, simple actions that can be implemented overnight to begin reducing emissions”, said Cunha.

Representing the Ministry of Ports and Airports (MPor), the Chief of Staff of the National Secretariat of Ports, Marina Cavalini Bailão, believes inviting shipowners is essential for the debate. “Especially due to our national logistics planning. We need to know their energy demands in order to map their requirements. Not every location will have offshore capabilities or produce hydrogen. So, we need to get to know each other. Public policy communication will be very important for the sector.”

The host of the meeting, President of Portos do Paraná, Luiz Fernando Garcia da Silva, commented that it is no use talking about equipment electrification if a port cannot perform an assessment. “We need a real diagnosis of what is happening in Brazil, otherwise the problems will persist.” According to him, a safety mechanism is needed for public managers to invest in “innovation, incentives, or safeguards so that we can invest, validate, and commit to developing new practices.”

Claudio Bastos, Superintendent of Governance, Risk, and Compliance at the Santos Port Authority (APS), proposed developing an evolutionary inventory model. “Because some ports haven’t even started measuring, while others have developed extended inventories that include ship emissions. The Port of Paranaguá, for example, has a decarbonization goal plan. In other words, an evolutionary model can serve as a benchmark for ports that are further behind in the process.”

Gilmara Temóteo, Executive Director of the Associação Brasileira das Entidades Portuárias e Hidroviárias (Abeph), noted that “the private sector is clearly ahead, with the ability to invest at a much faster pace than what we see in the public sector.” “Abeph has been holding meetings with port authorities and has observed this discrepancy in the sector — but with the positive intention of promoting good actions and practices so we can align and meet sustainability targets”, she added.

Participating online, the President of the Asociación Americana de Autoridades Portuarias (AAPA Latam), Juan Duarte, stated that “we need ports to launch alternative self-sustainable solutions.”

Cristina Castro, Antaq’s Superintendent of ESG and Innovation, also joined via video. “We need to identify the unique roles of our ports and where they can become green”, she said.

The document to be presented at COP30 will be prepared by Abeph’s legal consultant, Fábio Silveira, and maritime and business law specialist, Cristina Wadner. “It’s a challenging yet rewarding task that demands creativity to develop this document. Electrification is one pathway, but we also have biofuels, and a related agenda has already been developed by shipowners who discussed this matter within Abeph”, stated Silveira.

Cristina pointed out that the bottleneck is not financial, but regulatory. “Both the private and public sectors have investors willing to fund projects, but legally, it’s not viable. We have public policies for hydrogen, biofuels, the offshore law, wind energy, and carbon credits, all expected to be regulated between late 2025 and 2026, but we still lack proper regulation. Without regulation, you can’t sign a contract, because investors don’t have legal security. ”

Commission The event is led by Grupo Tribuna and includes the participation of port authorities and representatives from entities such as the Associação Brasileira das Entidades Portuárias e Hidroviárias (Abeph), Associação Brasileira dos Terminais Portuários (ABTP), Asociación Americana de Autoridades Portuarias (AAPA Latam), Agência Nacional de Transportes Aquaviários (Antaq), and the Ministério de Portos e Aeroportos (MPor), through the Secretaria Nacional de Portos (SNP).

For Rodrigues, the legal framework does not align with the initiatives (Claudio Neves/Portos do Paraná)

Communication breakdown is a challenge among ports One of the challenges identified at the 1º Encontro COP Portos Sustentáveis in Paranaguá is the lack of communication among Brazilian ports — in other words, the absence of synergy needed to advance the sustainability agenda.

“There are many initiatives being proposed by the Federal Government, but also many others being implemented by Brazilian ports. We are a country of continental dimensions, and we often see that information gets distorted by the time it reaches its destination. Not all ports are informed”, said Maxwell Rodrigues, Port Affairs Consultant at Grupo Tribuna. “Grupo Tribuna has made a significant contribution in this regard by amplifying these initiatives.”

Rodrigues noted that sustainability is embedded in this context. “Caring for the environment is not only about environmental issues but also about economic, social, and governance dimensions. We need to be sure all of these will be addressed. For example, we can’t implement policies that mandate energy transition without ensuring economic sustainability.”

According to him, the commission faces a major challenge, “because the legal framework does not align with the initiatives that need to be implemented. So, the proposal is to bring this perception of a very narrow and fragmented reality to COP”, he stated.

Finally, the consultant emphasized that “Grupo Tribuna’s initiative will be a legacy that we leave to the world and to the environment.”