Codeba details plan to reactivate the São Francisco Waterway

The plan foresees integration with railways and ports, in addition to the construction of 17 terminals.

The São Francisco River Waterway reactivation project was detailed by Leandro Gaudenzi, director of administrative and financial management for the Bahia State Dock Company (Codeba), during the Smart Rivers 2025 conference held in Memphis, USA. The meeting brought together experts and researchers from various countries specializing in inland waterway transportation.

According to Codeba, the waterway has the potential to move up to 5 million tons of cargo in its first year of commercial operation, including grains, fertilizers, agricultural gypsum, sugar, coffee, and salt. This estimate was reinforced days earlier in Salvador at the INDEX Bahia 2025 event and comes in parallel with the Ministry of Ports and Airports' ordinance authorizing the state-owned company to begin technical studies to enable the resumption of operations.

The document was signed by Minister Silvio Costa Filho and published in the Official Gazette of the Union on August 26. "The project will strengthen the local economy by promoting more efficient, sustainable transportation that is integrated with other modes," the minister stated.

Codeba president Antonio Gobbo emphasized that the initiative opens up new logistics scenarios. "We have new demand expectations that weren't anticipated until last year. We're even working on the possibility of implementing a rail network for Aratu."

The plan calls for the redevelopment of the Central-Atlantic Railway (FCA) section between Juazeiro and the Port of Aratu, the connection with the West-East Integration Railway (FIOL) in Bom Jesus da Lapa via the road-rail bridge over the São Francisco River, and the integration of the FIOL with the FCA, creating a direct link between Jequié and the Port of Aratu. Furthermore, the Ministry announced the construction of 17 Small Public Port Facilities (IP4) along the route, six of which are already in the design phase.

Smart Rivers, promoted by the World Association for Waterway Infrastructure (Pianc), brings together an interdisciplinary community of professionals, researchers, and decision-makers. The objective of this international event is to discuss practices and innovations to ensure safety, sustainability, and economic development in inland waterway systems.