The National Waterway Transportation Agency (ANTAQ) held a Public Hearing that dealt with the improvement of documents and the proposed modeling for the concession of the Paraguay Waterway.

The Paraguay River Waterway comprises the stretch between Corumbá (MS) and the mouth of the Apa River, located in the municipality of Porto Murtinho (MS), and the bed of the Tamengo Canal, in the stretch within the city of Corumbá. The total length of the project is 600 km. In the first five years of the concession, dredging, demolition, adequate marking and signaling services will be carried out, as well as construction of an industrial warehouse, acquisition of a dredge, hydrological monitoring and hydrographic surveys, improvements to crossings and convoy dismemberment points, implementation of waterway traffic management systems, including Vessel Traffic Service (VTS) and River Information Service (RIS), in addition to river intelligence services. 

These improvements will ensure safe and reliable navigation. The estimated direct investment in these first years is BRL 63.8 million (US$ 11 million). The contractual term of the concession is 15 years with the possibility of extension for the same period. After the concession, cargo transportation on the Paraguay River is estimated at 25 and 30 million tons from 2030 onwards, which represents a significant increase in movement compared to the current level. Last year, the waterway transported 7.95 million tons of cargo, an increase of 72.57% compared to 2022. With the concession, the waterway will have a draft of 3 meters when the river is full and 2 meters during dry periods, which will guarantee the trafficability of vessels throughout the year, or at least most of it.