Piers in Itacoatiara move thousands of containers during the drought in Amazonas

This year, the Chibatão and Super Terminais groups once again installed floating structures in the municipality. Operations began in October and function as transfer points for cargo from large ships to ferries that go to the capital.

At the Chibatão Group pier, accumulated movement reaches 663 containers transferred to ferries since the beginning of the operation, on October 4th. The model adopted is called load relief: part of the containers are removed from the ships to reduce the draft and allow the vessels to continue their journey to Manaus.

This Thursday (5), the ship Guarujá underwent a transshipment operation of 222 containers onto two ferries. With the removal of the cargo, the vessel's draft was reduced from 8.80 meters to 7.90 meters.

At the Super Terminais pier, the procedure is different. All ship loads are transferred to ferries in Itacoatiara, which transport them to Manaus. According to a balance released by the terminal, three ships were handled in October, totaling 4,825 TEUs. The unit corresponds to the capacity of a 20-foot container.

While operations continue, the level of the Amazon River in Itacoatiara shows a slower reduction. According to the ruler of the Geological Survey of Brazil (SGB), installed on the edge of the city, the river dropped five centimeters in the first five days of November. This Thursday (5), the level reached 3.40 meters.

Other points also bring difficulties for people who depend on rivers to get around. Among the stretches considered critical for navigation are the mouth of the Madeira River and the Tabocal region. These are strategic areas of the waterway, above Itacoatiara, where the low depth can make it difficult for large ships to pass towards Manaus.

The installation of piers in Itacoatiara is not unprecedented. The same groups have already used the structures during the 2024 drought, when the transfer of containers to ferries was adopted to avoid interrupting cargo transport to Manaus.

The strategy emerged after the problems faced in 2023. That year, the extreme drought caused the temporary suspension of navigation of large vessels. Without the temporary piers in Itacoatiara, ships were unable to reach the capital's terminals for weeks.

The impacts also reached the industry. A survey by the Industry Center of the State of Amazonas showed around R$1.4 billion in additional costs for companies, with logistics, transport and storage expenses for inputs.

In 2024, floating piers began to function as an alternative to prevent cargo from being stranded in ports of origin. Now, in 2026, the structures are back in operation to maintain the flow of goods and inputs destined for commerce and the Manaus Industrial Complex.