Port of Itajaí to have continuous monitoring to support ship maneuvers
An emergency contract will monitor hydrodynamic and meteorological conditions along 9.3 kilometers of the complex’s waterway access for up to 180 days.
The Port of Itajaí will have a hydrodynamic and meteorological monitoring system to continuously track the conditions of the complex’s access channel. The emergency procurement, published in the Official Gazette of the Union on Monday (14), was signed for R$ 4.48 million with UMI SAN Serviços de Apoio à Navegação e Engenharia Ltda.
The system is expected to operate 24 hours a day and will consist of four physical stations and two numerical modeling points. Monitoring will cover approximately 9.3 kilometers of waterway access, from the outer area to the turning basins and berths of the port complex.
The data tracked in real time will include currents, tides, waves, wind, visibility, and rainfall. The information will be used as technical support to assess access conditions and guide maneuvers by ships arriving at or leaving the port.
The measure was adopted in response to the conditions forecast for the Itajaí-Açu River estuary during the El Niño phenomenon. According to the technical documentation cited by the sources, the event may worsen siltation and increase the region’s hydrodynamic variability, making navigation less predictable.
Once the system is operating, the Port Authority will be able to monitor changes in the river and weather conditions before and during operations. The data should also support faster responses to changes affecting the safety or access of vessels.
The contract will have a maximum term of 180 days. During this period, the solution is expected to remain in continuous operation, enabling ongoing monitoring of the channel and providing more information for navigation decisions.