On Wednesday, 15th, the House of Representatives approved Bill 4199/2020 – Program to Promote Cabotage Navigation – BR do Mar. The final text now goes for President Jair Bolsonaro’s sanction. One of the pillars of the proposal is the flexibility of the chartering of foreign vessels for coastal shipping, which will facilitate the entry of new carriers to the Brazilian shipping market. According to the Ministry of Infrastructure, with the promotion of coastal shipping, it will be possible to increase the volume of containers transported per year, from 1.2 million TEUs (20-foot equivalent unit) in 2019 to 2 million TEUs in 2022. According to the Federal Government, the new legislation can reduce freight costs by up to BRL 1.7 billion per year. The final amount (with social, economic and environmental advantages) can have a cost reduction of BRL 3 billion annually.
Source: PROMARE