MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Uruguay/Brazil waterway project studies submitted for financial qualification

The Lago Merim waterway would link the east of Uruguay with the port of Rio Grande

Brazil's minister of Infrastructure, Marcelo Sampaio, received last week the studies referred to the concession of the Lagoa Merim Waterway in the state of Rio Grande do Sul bordering with Uruguay.

The Brazil-Uruguay waterway is the first waterway project to qualify for funds under the Investment Partnerships Program, ensuring safe vessel traffic and cargo flow through southern South America. The minister received the project from the Uruguayan ambassador, Guillermo Valles.

“Brazil and Uruguay have a great history together. They are more than sibling countries. We share more than a thousand kilometers of borders and maintain a dynamic bilateral trade in the order of US$ 3 billion per year. Historic, economic and cultural ties unite us. We want this waterway operating and the border region, especially Rio Grande do Sul and northeastern Uruguay, thriving,” said minister Marcelo Sampaio.

The project, which is expected to cost R$ 30 million, (some US$6^million) will allow Uruguayan vessels to enter the port of Rio Grande (RS) via the canal link between Lagoa Merim and Lagoa dos Patos. In addition, dredging and signaling will occur in the São Gonçalo channel, which links both lakes, between the Sangradouro Channel (Extreme North) and the Access Channel to the Port of Santa Vitória do Palmar (Extreme South).

The Brazilian Government will review and assess the studies and, if necessary, supplement them with the financial support of CAF (Development Bank of Latin America). After reviewing the studies, the government will open a public consultation process to receive contributions from society. Later, the studies will be sent for prior analysis by the Brazilian Federal Court of Auditors (TCU).

If approved, the document will turn into a concession notice by the National Waterway Transportation Agency (Antaq) and, finally, the auction schedule.