Brazilian Maritime Pilots' Association celebrates 50 years looking to the future
Fifty years ago, seven pilots'associations, from different Brazilian States, founded the National Pilotage Center, origin of the Brazilian Maritime Pilots' Association, in Rio de Janeiro. The aim to seek collective reinforcement to address the profession’s challenges and various players in the maritime sector was achieved. Today Brazilian pilotage is undergoing a balanced period, both from the institutional viewpoint, with a recent law considering the most important aspects of the service, and the division of tasks between Brazilian Maritime Pilots' Association, Brazilian Maritime Pilotage Institute and National Pilots’ Federation.
In this special edition, Rumos Práticos takes stock of our progression through testimonies from 11 former presidents, including the current president, maritime pilot Bruno Fonseca. We also prepared a timeline with the achievements that marked those 59 years. We are also privileged to include articles from the International Maritime Organization (IMO), International Maritime Pilots’ Association (IMPA), the Ports and Coasts Directorate (DPC) of the Brazilian Navy, and the Maritime Court that demonstrate the benchmark we have achieved in the national and global scenario.
Celebrating 50 years is more than revisiting the past. This is why we project the future based on our opening article. Topics such as artificial intelligence, automation and decarbonation of the fleet of ships are the new paradigms of maritime transportation and require our ongoing update. The Brazilian Maritime Pilots' Association always seeks to be at the forefront, training the maritime pilots, promoting technical studies and talking to the maritime community, with a primary focus on the safety of navigation.
Now, in a move representing not only a change in name but a step forward in public communication, we extend our reach to a new identity: from Conselho Nacional de Praticagem to Praticagem do Brasil
A maritime pilot’s job, silent to the general public, needs to be reverberated, and the new name objectively reflects what we represent. We are a heterogeneous pilotage, which operates in a wide variety of scenarios, from North to South of Brazil, with a leading role constantly seeking excellence in providing its services.
We are evolving, without losing sight of the purpose of serving the country with responsibility, competence and commitment to human life and the environment. Enjoy your reading!
Brazilian Maritime Pilots’ Association
Av. Rio Branco, 89/1502 – Centro – Rio de Janeiro – RJ – CEP 20040-004
Tel.: 55 (21) 2516-4479 praticagemdobrasil.org.br
director president of Brazilian Maritime Pilots' Association
Bruno Fonseca de Oliveira
director vice-president
Marcello Rodrigues Camarinha
directors
Felipe Perrotta Bezerra
Jelmires José Galindo Junior
Ricardo Augusto Leite Falcão (vice-president of IMPA)
Rumos Práticos
planning
Otavio Fragoso/Flávia Pires/Katia Piranda
editor
Otavio Fragoso
writer
Rodrigo March (journalist in charge)
MTb/RJ 23.386
translation
Elvyn Marshall
revision
Lucas Marshall
layout and design
Katia Piranda
pre-print
DVZ Impressões Gráficas
cover photo: Gustavo Stephan
The information and opinions expressed in this publication are the sole responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily express the Brazilian Maritime Pilots' Association viewpoint.
Article by IMPA president
Article by director of the Brazilian Navy Ports and Coasts
Article by president of the Maritime Court
the interviews with the presidents of the Brazilian Maritime Pilots' Association
Heading to the diamond anniversary
Brazilian Maritime Pilots' Association celebrates its 50th anniversary ready for the advancement of the profession
When the Brazilian Maritime Pilots' Association completed 45 years, Rumos Práticos revisited its past, highlighting its memorable feats. On commemorating its 50 years on 12th June, we revive the past, this time in reports from its former presidents. But we also look to the future of the profession at home and abroad. After all, the institution – which from now on will adopt the trade name Praticagem do Brasil –has a mission to streamline the profession and quality of the service. And there are plenty of, namely technological, challenges to be faced.
At a national level, the forecast is for stability after one and a half years since the approval of the new pilotage law act. The law no. 14,813/24 was sanctioned by the Presidency of the Republic, and updated the Waterway Traffic Safety Law (law no. 9,537/97), incorporating authority rules of Maritime Authority Rules for the Pilotage Service (Regulation-311/DPC) and the high court jurisprudence in relation to the profession.
One of the most important safety parameters incorporated into the legislation was the unique pilots roster to provide the service to the shipowners. The instrument grants the maritime pilot an autonomy to always take the safest decision on board, regardless of commercial pressure from the ship’s owner, who is safe aboard, regardless of commercial pressure from the shipowner, who does not choose who
will attend to him. Likewise, the maritime pilot does not choose the shipowner, preventing any system of preference. In economic terms, the price follows free trading. However, the Brazilian Navy can fix it – on an extraordinary and temporary basis – upon provocation of the parties.
“Previously, institutional matters were played out all the time at the negotiating table with shipowners. With the new law, they don’t turn up. This allows us to prioritize investments in the tools that will help Brazil to develop. So we will have faster analyses of the port bottlenecks and new access channels. Technically we are very well prepared”, states maritime pilot Ricardo Falcão, director of the Brazilian Maritime Pilots' Association and vice-president of the International Maritime Pilots’ Association (IMPA).
According to maritime pilot Otavio Fragoso, councilor of the National Pilots’ Federation, Brazilian pilotage is today quite balanced, from the institutional viewpoint, with the law considering the most relevant aspects of the profession, in organizational terms, from the institutional view, sharing functions between three institutes: Brazilian Maritime Pilots' Association, National Pilots’ Federation and Brazilian Maritime Pilotage Institute. While the latter is a maritime training and assessment center for waterway and port projects, the federation operates in the trade union sphere.
AUTONOMOUS VESSELS
Globally, the projection of technological advances is not regarded as a threat. The key question is about autonomous ships, whose feasibility depends on a number of factors, one of them being the economic return. The International Organization for International Association for Marine Aids to Navigation (IALA) analyzed different scenarios in a report published in 2024.
“The arrival of autonomous large ships, able to take independent decisions, is expected to be at least 20 years away from widespread implementation. While MASS technology is suitable for shipping safety, according to the IALA analysis:
Although general implementation of large autonomous ships, able to take independent decisions, is expected to at least last 20 years. While technology is suitable for small and specialized ships, such as inshore survey and ferries, initial deployment may be limited to specific participating States rather than being adopted for all international voyages”, the study comments.
One of the key points in the discussion is navigation safety, according to the IALA analysis:
“While several arguments in favor of autonomous ships through increasing safety, concerns persist on their reliability, especially in complex and unpredictable environments. Malfunctions, software bugs or communication failures can lead to accidents, causing greater damage due to the lack of crew to deal with emergencies. Although human error contributes to maritime accidents, not all stakeholders are fully convinced that autonomy is the only solution.”
Ricardo Falcão believes that the discussion should not progress, precisely because of the safety aspect:
“It is often said that at least 60% of accidents are caused by human error. But the level of occurrences is two thousandths of a percent. So we're talking about 60% of two thousandths. It is a system that operates 99.998% safely the whole time. To have an autonomous vessel, it is necessary to at least ensure the same performance. And no one guarantees this.”
Otavio Fragoso thinks that the speed of artificial intelligence development and consequent investment in experiences with autonomous ships can alter only the way in which the service will be provided in the coming years:
“I see it as an adaptation. I don’t believe that maritime pilots are on the list of professionals doomed to disappear.”
Maritime pilot Marcelo Cajaty, vice-president of the National Pilots’ Federation, has a similar opinion:
“The pilotage service will exist as long as there is concern for each country's sovereignty and care for its environment. The arrival of autonomous ships can bring a change in the way in which pilotage is conducted, but there will always be in each port someone responsible for guaranteeing that the ship sails in safety towards its programmed destination, without placing at risk the port structure and local environment. It's the famous binomial of efficiency and protection.”
In order to guarantee safety, the International Maritime Organization (IMO) develops a regulatory code on the topic. The aim is to adopt it as non-mandatory in May 2026. After the trial period, the plan is to draw up the mandatory code to be incorporated through amendments to the International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS). The regulation would only come into force in 2032.
The International Maritime Pilots’ Association is not oblivious to the technologies that can impact compulsory pilotage. In addition to following up the matter at IMO, IMPA has begun a study to assess the benefits, risks and prerequisites of remote pilotage, i.e. onshore. The project is a partnership with the Canadian Center of Expertise in Maritime Pilotage (NCEMP) and the country’s coastguards. Specialists will test solutions that promise to enable the service at a distance in waters where on-board pilotage is a requirement.
“The number and variety of people talking about navigation and remote pilotage has caused IMPA to undertake an objective, thorough analysis to help in the decision-making for the pilotage organizations, relevant authorities and the industry. Providing reliable, evidence-based guidance is key to maintaining safe navigation. “It's part of why we exist,” argued IMPA's president, Simon Pelletier, at the launch of the study.
LARGER VESSELS
“On a global scale, the growing of ships out of step with port infrastructure is yet another issue that reinforces the importance of pilotage”, as the former president of the Brazilian Maritime Pilots' Association, Euclides Alcantara, points out:
“The development of ports suffers too much when their facilities have to accompany the faster progress of naval architecture, since this only depends on the demand and competence of creative engineers. However, it is the maritime pilots who, with their active experience, manage to close this gap between nautical aspects and port planning theory. The pilotage service still has a lot to contribute to national economies and the safety of shipping.
Maritime pilot Gustavo Martins, president of the National Pilots’ Federation, mentions the same pilotage contribution given the significant increase in the sizes of the vessels, even though technology adds more precision to maneuvers. He adds another point on behalf of the profession:
“The possibility of climate change and its effects makes local knowledge even more relevant. On balance, the service has become more important as we follow the work of pilotage in other countries, especially the more developed countries.”
Maritime pilot Bruno Fonseca, president of the Brazilian Maritime Pilots' Association, estimates that the profession worldwide
will be even more closely connected to environmental and technological issues:
“I believe that the use of autonomous systems will be a factor of transformation, although the human factor remains irreplaceable, especially in sensitive areas such as Brazilian ports. The work of the maritime pilot, overwhelmed by responsibility, will always be essential to guarantee the protection of people, the environment in which they live and the economy.”
People and Purpose: Shaping the Future of Shipping
Arsenio Dominguez
Secretary-general of the International Maritime Organization (IMO)
In a changing world, the maritime sector must adapt to increasingly complex realities. Today, the horizon is shaped by opportunity and pressure, by geopolitical uncertainty, rapid technological advancement, the urgent drive for decarbonization and the ongoing need to protect the people who keep global trade moving.
At the International Maritime Organization, our role is not only to regulate but to create a future where innovation, safety, sustainability and people move forward together. As we navigate this next chapter, the challenge is not just to modernize the industry, but to keep humanity at the centre of progress.
When I began my tenure as Secretary-General just over a year ago, I set out four priorities for the IMO Secretariat: strengthening our role as global shipping regulator, enhancing our support for Member States, improving our public image, and investing in our own people. That last focus area - our people - anchors all the others. It is also a guiding principle for how we approach the future: no one should be left behind.
NAVIGATING GLOBAL CRISES
The importance of the human element has been most evident when facing global calamities. During the COVID-19 pandemic, while ships continued to sail carrying essential goods and medicines, thousands of seafarers were stranded on board, unable to disembark due to travel restrictions. It revealed just how vital, and yet invisible, much of the maritime workforce remains. Maritime pilots were among those who continued working in high-risk conditions to keep global supply chains moving.
Throughout the pandemic, IMO worked with industry partners and UN agencies to advocate for crew change protocols, vaccine prioritization and the recognition of seafarers as key workers. The crisis served as a powerful reminder of how dependent the world is on maritime professionals, and why a people-first approach must guide us going forward.
More recently, geopolitical tensions in the Red Sea and Black Sea have had devastating consequences for global trade, the shipping industry, and for seafarers themselves. IMO has consistently called for the protection of seafarers, insisting that they must never be collateral damage in wider geopolitical challenges. We have fostered collaboration between Member States, industry and other stakeholders to strengthen maritime security, backed by targeted initiatives like the EU-funded Red Sea Project, which supports capacity-building at national and regional levels.
TRANSITIONING TO NET-ZERO SHIPPING
The future of shipping will be defined by how effectively we tackle the climate crisis. The 2023 IMO Strategy on the Reduction of GHG Emissions from Ships sets a target of reaching net-zero emissions from international shipping by or around 2050. This goal requires a profound transformation in how ships are built, powered and operated.
Later this year, the anticipated adoption of the IMO Net-Zero Framework, including mandatory measures for a global fuel standard and pricing on GHG emissions, will mark another major milestone.
However, environmental progress must not come at the expense of human safety. To meet 2050 decarbonization targets, an estimated 800,000 seafarers will need training to handle alternative fuels by the mid-2030s. These fuels pose real operational and safety risks, which is why IMO has developed interim safety guidelines for ships using ammonia, hydrogen and methanol, while advancing new training standards for seafarers.
The ongoing comprehensive review of the STCW Convention will further align skills development with the needs of this evolving industry. A just and fair transition depends on placing people’s safety and professional development at the forefront of climate
action. On this journey, everyone – from governments to shipowners, port authorities, seafarers and pilots - has a critical role to play.
TECHNOLOGY THAT EMPOWERS
Finally, we are entering an era shaped by digital transformation. Artificial intelligence, autonomous shipping technology and smarter port logistics are no longer abstract concepts but increasingly integrated into vessels and infrastructure.
To guide this transformation, IMO’s Strategy on Maritime Digitalization, due for adoption in 2027, will aim to establish a globally harmonized, interconnected digital ecosystem for shipping. Meanwhile, our work on digitalization, including Maritime Single Windows, e-navigation, cybersecurity and Maritime Autonomous Surface Ships (MASS), continue to ensure that safety and accountability remain core principles in the digital age.
New systems will require reskilling to equip today’s workforce with tomorrow’s expertise, while also addressing cyber risks and bridging the global digital divide. But let us be clear: technology must empower people, not displace them.
While digital tools can support decision-making and safety, the judgment, instinct or leadership of those at sea, especially in complex or high-risk situations, must be emphasized. Maritime pilots, for example, operate in some of the most demanding environments, relying on deep local knowledge and real-time decision-making. Pilotage reminds us that even in an age of automation, human experience remains irreplaceable.
OUR OCEAN, OUR PEOPLE
This year’s World Maritime Day theme, “Our Ocean, Our Obligation, Our Opportunity”, speaks to our collective mission. The ocean is home to countless marine species, a highway for more than 80% of global trade, and a source of jobs and food for millions of people. As the largest sector operating in the ocean space, shipping has a central role to play in the protection of the marine environment and management of ocean resources.
But none of the progress we pursue - whether in decarbonization, digitalization or maritime safety and security - can succeed without investing in people. That means accessible, high-quality training, commitment to gender equality and diversity, and a maritime culture that embraces innovation while valuing those who carry it out.
As the Brazilian Maritime Pilots’ Association marks 50 years of serving the maritime community, it is a fitting moment to reflect and look ahead. The future of shipping depends not only on emissions targets and new technology, but by how well we support the hardworking men and women who serve in it. If we stay true to our purpose and keep people at the helm, I have no doubt we will navigate the transitions ahead with agility, clarity and a shared resolve. Here’s to the next fifty years of safe passage and shared progress.
photo: IMO
The future of maritime pilotage: what changes is much less critical than what must stay the same
President of the International Maritime Pilot’s Association (Impa)
We are ceaselessly told that the maritime industry is undergoing unprecedented technological change, driven by a need for greener, smarter shipping. The need for more efficient, greener ships is undeniable. Climate adaptation looks set to transform shipping’s energy ecosystem. At the same time, coastal infrastructure must adapt to mitigate the impacts of climate change that are already being felt. Maritime pilots will play an undeniable role in ensuring that critical infrastructure remains accessible to shipping.
What is less clear is the role that remotely operated ships or software with autonomy will play. These ideas have been discussed in maritime circles for over 50 years. As you read these words, the horizon for a mandatory international code for the safety of ships using these technologies keeps shifting further into the future.
Over 60,000 ships are trading worldwide today, making nearly 5 million port calls and carrying 11 billion tonnes of cargo, according to UNCTAD. It is demand for cargo, not technology, that moves ships between ports, making the business case for more complex, operationally demanding and therefore more costly ships ambiguous at best.
For the foreseeable future, smarter, greener, but ultimately conventional ships will likely remain entrusted with the world’s cargo and passengers. Whilst this is the case, the most significant risk to safety, environmental protection, and efficiency in national waters comes from prematurely evolving the safety regime to meet the needs of ships that only exist on drawing boards rather than ships in the water.
The essential reason for having qualified, licensed pilots direct the navigation of ships does not change with the technology onboard. Future technology will still need to be used in conjunction with the pilot's knowledge, experience and expertise. Ships will remain hazards, capable of colliding with other ships, critical infrastructure,
or blocking navigational channels critical for economies. Ships will carry fuel capable of damage to the health of humans and the natural environment, even if it benefits climate change. Ships will carry cargo generally accepted to be best discharged at berth, not before.
If the reason for maritime pilotage does not change, the effectiveness expected of pilotage as a public service cannot change either. It will continue to need to reduce risk by more than x528 relative to not taking a pilot and have a near-perfect safety record: 1.9 incidents per 10 million acts of pilotage. This safety record is attributable to the human capital embodied in maritime pilots and their willingness to adopt new technology, which demonstrably improves their performance and the effectiveness of pilotage.
It is difficult to go further without addressing the hype and opportunities around artificial intelligence (AI). It is surprising how many people talk positively about something few understand. Interestingly, the limitations of AI include its inability to adapt quickly to developing situations, its ability to understand cause and effect, and its ability to reason ethically. In my experience, maritime pilots are required to be adaptable, understand their environment and occasionally need to make difficult choices.
I expect that maritime pilots will want to use more data to continue to drive high performance. AI could help transform large quantities of data into actionable information that pilots can use to augment their decision-making. AI is a tool that pilots may be able to use to continue to push the limits of what their expertise can deliver, including in response to climate change. Still, its limitations mean it will not replace them any time soon.
Critics of the narrative I have presented argue that technology transforms what can be done and how it is done. They say today is no benchmark for tomorrow.
Captain Simon Pelletier
The movement of ships in ports, port approaches, rivers, canals and lakes worldwide is a reality, and the consequences when things go wrong are not theoretical. Academic assertions of what might work are not good enough. Choices about maritime pilotage – like the promotion of the concept of remote pilotage – must be driven by objective evidence about likely performance and the accrual of benefits to the public. It may be an inconvenient truth, but what we achieve today in maritime pilotage is the benchmark to beat; nothing else is progress.
As we look to the future, both within and beyond maritime pilotage, I am convinced that what we allow technology to deliver will be much less critical than what we decide must stay the same – first and foremost, to protect the public interest. In fact, real progress depends on it.
The Brazilian Navy continues in the effort to find the balance between socioeconomic development and safe shipping
Vice-admiral Carlos André Corona Macedo Director of the Brazilian Navy for Ports and Coasts
Brazil's maritime vocation is marked by the fact that it has one of the world’s largest Exclusive Economic Zones. More than 95% of Brazilian’s foreign trade is transported along the sea routes, as well as 95% offshore oil an natural gas produced in the country. Consequently, the Merchant Navy, maritime and offshore infrastructure, National Port System, the Defense Industrial Base (DIB), the shipbuilding industry, fishing sector, scientific research
and the exploration of economic offshore resources, among others, require strong “shipping safety” in their leading roles for the economy, as boosters of national development.
In this context, the Maritime Authority (MA) run by the Navy commander, is competent to address the matters affecting the subsidiary duties of the Brazilian Navy (BN), in the complementary
photo: Paula Carrubba
IMPA PRESIDENT, SIMON PELLETIER, AND VICE-PRESIDENT RICARDO FALCÃO, DIRECTOR OF BRAZILIAN MARITIME PILOTS' ASSOCIATION
act no. 97 dated 1999. One of the subsidiary duties is to provide safe waterway navigation..
Using naval inspections and surveys, the MA monitors compliance with the Inland Navigation Safety Act (Lesta) and with their rules and regulations and, in addition to assuring conformity with national and international requirements. The objective is to ensure that MA representatives and agents safeguard human life, ensure safe navigation in the open sea and inland waterways and to prevent environmental pollution caused by vessels, fixed platforms or their support facilities is conducted by representatives and agents, who ensure the application of the regulations and contribute to maintain the Brazilian rivers and offshore.
Safe navigation involves administrative and technical techniques adopted by the BN, highlighting the regulations: qualification and registration of seafarers and amateurs; registration and inspection of boat registrations; registration of vessels; registration of shipping companies, experts and classification societies; registration and operation of marinas, clubs and water sports entities; the establishment and operation of navigation signals and aids; the definition of vessel safety crews and their respective qualifications; standardization, homologation and establishment of lists of on-board equipment; vessel inspections and surveys; regulation of the pilotage service; authorization and control of hydrographic surveys; drafting and dissemination of Notices to Mariners and Meteorological Bulletins; and lastly, the preparation and publication of nautical charts and publications under Brazil's responsibility.
Those activities bring benefits to society, by contributing to preventing accidents with seagoing and river vessels to protect the lives of its passengers and crew members; to prevent pollution caused by vessels and, consequently, protect the marine ecosystems; and consequently to improve the planning of waterway space, and to bring the legal and infra-legal framework into line with international maritime safety rules and regulations, such as those of the International Maritime Organization (IMO).
In this sense, it is worth mentioning the positive impact of implementing the Marine Space Planning in navigation safety. The mapping being carried out by the MSP will enable identification of synergies between the different uses of the sea, and to mitigate possible disputes when promoting a more efficiently organized maritime space in a more organized, predictable sustainable environment.
Maintaining safe navigation is an action performed nationwide and in Brazilian Jurisdictional Waters (BJW) and being international in scope, requires global standardization and with the international commitments adopted by the country. This requires a balanced approach that combines innovation,
sustainability and safety. Technological advances, despite offering benefits such as greater efficiency, competitiveness and lower operating costs, bring with them some risks to shipping that need to be mitigated through robust regulations and improved practices that protect people, goods and the environment.
The Brazilian Navy (BN) continues to strive for balance between socio-economic development and safe navigation. In order to expand its operational capacity and reinforce the surveillance and protection of the MSP, the MA has been working continuously to receive investments commensurate with its duties, which will make BM’s surveillance more efficient, as well as having a positive impact on national industry, the promotion of science, technology and innovation and job creation.
Therefore, the BN’s effective role is to perform waterway activities, such as the training and qualification of seafarers, conducting vessel inspections and updating the national nautical cartography, contributes to a maritime environment, encouraging sustainable development of the national maritime sector attracting investments that boost the growth of economic activities in our Blue Amazon.
photo:
Gustavo Stephan
VICE-ADMIRAL ANDRÉ MACEDO, DIRECTOR OF PORTS AND COASTS, AND BRUNO FONSECA, PRESIDENT OF THE BRAZILIAN MARITIME PILOTS' ASSOCIATION
Inland waterway shipping pilotage and Maritime Court decisions
Vice-admiral Ralph Dias Presiding judge of the Maritime Court
ABSTRACT
The article herein is designed to demonstrate the importance of shipping in restricted areas, with focus on the waterways of value for the Brazilian economy, since they facilitate the flow of goods, mainly from agrobusiness. Moreover, the waterway modal is an environmentally sustainable means of transportation. Likewise, it addresses the importance of pilotage in this modal bearing in mind the specific natural characteristics of each river, which requires navigation through this area to be handled by specialist professionals in this type of job. In order to control the vessel, it is fundamental to know the local environmental and meteorological conditions, in addition to having experience in mooring and transportation in such regions, thereby requiring expert professionals specific to each place.
INLAND NAVIGATION
Law 9,432, dated January 8, 1997, defines inland shipping as “navigation in inland waterways on a national or international route”. This law also defines crossing and port support navigation, in addition to other major Maritime Law definitions.
Brazilian waterway transportation is a component of an intermodal infrastructure connecting the country through its water resources. The system is subdivided into transportation categories including rivers, oceans and lakes. According to the Brazilian Waterway Transportation Agency (Antaq), maritime transportation is responsible for almost 90% of Brazil’s international trade. River transportation, on the other hand, although the most economic option, is underused in Brazil, except in certain areas such as the Amazon, where long distances and few roads or railways make it essential.
The Brazilian Hydrography Division establishes the 12 Brazilian hydrographic regions with similar natural, social and economic characteristics, in order to guide the planning and management
of the national water resources. The Brazilian Hydrographic Division sets the 12 river basins, including the Amazon.
Although it is the most economic option, it is worth mentioning that many Brazilian rivers provide difficult navigation which require costly investments to make them navigable. Also, many suffer from climate change in recent years.
Although the Brazilian waterway potential is not fully utilized, the method must be worth mentioning, mainly in Northern Brazil, where highways are few.
Inland shipping is an excellent method to carry soybean, bran and corn over long distances, for example. One of its main characteristics is the ability to carry large quantities of freight at low cost compared to other methods, which make it very important for competitive agrobusiness. After all, it enables the flow of its products with low environmental impact, considering the gas emissions Into the atmosphere.
Despite its positive points, water transportation has some disadvantages: slow speed, since the moves take long period until the destination; dependence on favorable weather and climate conditions; lack of proper conditions and minimum requirements for shipping in some rivers and lakes; and need for continuous investment.
NORTHERN ARC WATERWAY MODAL
According to Antaq and a survey by the Brazilian Transportation Federation (CNT), Brazil has a river system covering 63,000 kilometers. Only 27,000 kilometers of river are navigable, only 19,000 kiometers used for commercial transport of freight and passengers (30% of Brazil’s river network). The Northern region stands out as one of the main waterways freight users. In this sense, there is a government project called Northern Arc, which aims to invest in infrastructure to potentialize inland navigation in the region.
The specialists define it as a strategic method covering axes of highway, rail and waterways in the Northern and Northeastern regions of the country, where ports export agricultural commodities, namely soybean and corn, located above 16oS latitude. The major ports in the Northen Arc are in the states of Amazonas and Pará. The movement in those ports is significant for the logists chain and involves both organized ports and private terminals (TUPs).
The Amazon water basin is the largest in Brazil, covering 45% of national territory, with a wide river network, including the Amazon, Xingu, Solimões, Madeira and Negro. The SolimõesAmazon waterway is the main river corridor, both in volume of freight and distance. The Madeira is the second river with regard to the volume of freight, with predominance of soybean and corn from the mid-West for export from the Northern ports.
The Amazon river basin is not only the largest and covers the highest number of vessels, but also includes vessels with higher freight capacities, which explains their importance for agribusiness outputs.
The business via the Northern Arc has been growing and more than 30% soybean, bran and corn are involved. In the Northern Arc waterways, the freight destined for export can be boarded at 46 public ports and 19 TUPs. Then they are transhipped to long-haul vessels in ports and terminals located in: Macapá (Amapá), Manaus and Itacoatiara (Amazonas); Santarém, Barcarena and Belém (Pará); Santarém, Barcarena and Belém (PA); and Itaqui (Maranhão), strategically situated for export to the Northern hemisphere.
However, access to those port and waterways still require considerable investments in highways, such as the BR-163. It is also necessary to adapt waterways such as the MadeiraSolimões, which encounter various shipping problems, such as seasonal variations in water levels exposing sandbanks and rocks and the need to dredge in certain stretches to maintain the routes.
Although the Northern Arc still requires considerable investment, its importance for developng inland shipping in Brazil cannot be underestimated. The project represents a vital opportunity to improve the connectivity between regions, boost trade and promote sustainable economic growth.
PILOTAGE ZONES
Pilotage zones (ZPs) are specific areas designated by the Maritime Authority, such as ports, access channels and inland waterways, in which the use of maritime pilots is mandatory for shipping, in order
to ensure the safety and efficiency of maritime operations. These ZPs are fundamental for accident prevention and for optimizing waterborne traffic, since the maritime pilots, qualified professionals, know in depth the characteristics of the waters and local challenges.
In Brazil, the creation and control of the ZPs is the responsibility of the Brazilian Maritime Authority exercised by the Brazilian Navy’s Directorship of Ports and Coasts (DPC that sets regulations and guidelines for their operation. Currently, there are 20 ZPs nationwide, reflecting the importance of the service for developing waterway transportation and safety of port activities.
According to the Maritime Authority Regulations for the Pilotage Service (NORMAM-311), the pilotage zones in the Northern Arc are: ZP-1, named Fazendinha (Amapá AP) – Itacoatiara (Amazon AM); ZP-2, Itacoatiara – Tabatinga (Amazon AM); and ZP-3, Belém, Vila do Conde Port Complex and Vicinity (Pará PA). ZP-1 is the largest worldwide, extending for 1,416 nautical miles and crossing three States: Amapá, Pará and Amazonas. The service requires in the majority the presence of two maritime pilots taking turns on the bridge, in navigations that could last for more than 73 hours.
THE MARITIME COURT DECISIONS AND MARITIME PILOT’S RESPONSIBILITY
Throughout its 90 years of existence the Brazilian Maritime Court has been outstanding as a fundamental institution for maintaining justice and safety in shipping in Brazilian jurisdictional waters. The Court analyses accidents and maritime infractions, ensuring that the standards and regulations are strictly applied, promoting liability and safety in maritime operations and, thus contributing to the formation of efficient and safe navigation e environment.
It is up to the Court to investigate the liability by navigation facts and incidents to establish if the captain, maritime pilot, room officer, other crew member or any one else was the cause by intent or fault. So according to the law, the Court adopts the theory of subjective vicarious liability.
The theory is a legal concept that justifies the obligation to repair damages based on the body of evidence or the perpetrator’s intent. In this model, it should be demonstrated that the perpetrator of the damage acted negligently, imprudently, without intention or intentionally resulting in loss. The subjective vicarious liability is widely applied in different situations, in which the analysis of the agent’s behavior is crucial to determine the cause. Thus, there must exist causal nexus. The theory seeks to balance the justice, assuring that only who acts improperly is made liable.
The maritime pilot plays an advisory role. Depending on the particularities of the region, such as the Amazon, it is evident that the risk of an accident increases. It must be stressed that, during the maritime pilot’s work, the captain stays in command of the vessel, receiving his instructions (technical advice) for a safer navigation in restricted waters.
In this sense, in line with the Maritime Court jurisprudence, the maritime pilot’s liability is related only to the error or absence his technical advice, in short.
Here, an explanation on how the Court’s administrative process functions is appropriate.
The process begins with opening of the Administrative Investigation on Accidents and Facts of Navigation (IAFN), drafted by a shipping officer or Maritime Delegation or Agency. The purpose of the investigation is to ascertain the circumstances and possible liabilities in accidents or navigation facts.
The parties involved – such as captains, shipowners, maritime pilots or vessel owners – are duly summoned to submit a written defence by the legal deadline. This stage assures the refutation and ample defence.
In the hearing, the reporting judge may determine complementary diligences considered necessary to elucidate the fact, such as witness hearings, conducting expertise, request for documents or inspection on vessels. At this stage the parties may also offer evidence to enrich the information process.
Having completed the hearing, the proceeding is scheduled for public trial. The reporting judge draws up their report and presents the reasoned votes on cause of accident, the responsibilities attributed and any recommended measures, After discussions the other judges vote. In event of a draw, the Court president takes the deciding vote. The final decision is consolidated in a judgment, that clearly expresses the analysis of the facts, the legal and technical foundations and conclusion of the judgement.
The panel of judges of the Court now applies in most cases, penalties of a fine and suspension from professional work. Moreoever, depending on the case, the judgment may imply recommendation to the Maritime Authority – Preventive Measure for Safe Navigation – or even attribution of civil liability.
CONCLUSION
Inland navigation is of the utmost importance for Brazil, not only due to its role in transporting merchandise and integrating communities, but also for its contribution to regional economic development.
The Northern Arc waterway project is a strategic initiative that plans to improve the transport and logistics infrastructure in the northern region. Its importance is valuable in different aspects such as cutting logistic costs and facilitating flow of agrobusiness products, promoting a more efficient access to international markets.
The use of pilotage in those areas proves essential. The maritime pilots know in detail the characteristics of the water, navigation channels and local conditions, crucial to preventing accidents and optimizing maneuvers. With the increase in maritime and river traffic arising from the development of the infrastructure proposed by the project, pilotage has begun to be even more relevant.
The decisions of the Maritime Court, which are notable for justice and technical precision, are fundamental for ensuring that, in event of accidents, the liabilities are correctly attributed. So, the development of inland navigation, the role of the maritime pilots and the Court jurisdiction promote safety in the inland waterways and reinforce the confidence in waterway activities, contributing to an environment of safer and more responsible navigation.
Finally, the synergy between the three fronts maximizes the hoped-for economic and social benefits, contributing to a more prosperous future linking with the interior of the country.
photo: Gustavo Stephan
MARCELLO CAMARINHA, VICE-PRESIDENT OF THE BRAZILIAN MARITIME PILOTS' ASSOCIATION AND VICE-ADMIRAL RALPH DIAS, PRESIDENT OF THE MARITIME COURT
Maritime pilot Euclides Alcantara, president in 1980-1981 and 1984-1985
The scrutiny of public opinion is a stimulus
Maritime pilot Euclides Alcantara Filho was at the head of two mandates in the Brazilian Maritime Pilots' Association – 1980-1981 and 1984-1985 – and was based in the Espírito Santo Pilot Station (ZP-14). The former president believes that Brazilian pilotage has always had a tradition of good services since its regulation in 1808, in a country of continental dimensions. And this shift towards a universality of purpose and objectives sets the activity apart today. He undoubtedly helped pave this way.
During his mandate and of Julio Simões, the Council was still the National Pilotage Center (Cenapra). The initiative first brought together maritime pilot stations from the South and Southeast Brazil, earning the confidence of their colleagues in the North and Northeast of Brazil:
“They were looking for a national identity that would better defend the interests of the category, especially in negotiations with shipowners and claims to guarantee the profession with the regulator (Brazilian Navy). Communications were not as developed, so the links between pilotage companies were weaker and required reinforcement so that there could be full confidence in a collective representation.”
According to Euclides Alcantara Filho, it was necessary to do a lot of explaining and convincing to get the maritime pilots to unite in a single group. An exponent of this task who emphasized it, was
the organization's executive secretary at that time, Vice-Admiral Sá Earp:
“He was responsible for combining the view of the different groups, which finally was achieved in the historic 1984 National Meeting in Recife, attended by almost all Brazilian pilots. It was certainly an important moment in my administration and greatly contributed to strengthening the current institution.”
He believes that the Brazilian Maritime Pilots' Association is fundamental to forge the identity of the category, monitor the homogeneous application of technical instructions from the Maritime Authority and International Maritime Organization (IMO), as well as to ensure the legitimate and varied interests of the profession.
In relation to challenges, he believes that they have changed in the field of relations with the stakeholders, and are at the mercy of the speed and publicity imposed by modern communication in any field:
“Today, services focusing on the public interest are more widely exposed to the scrutiny of public opinion. However, this discomfort for maritime pilots is more an incentive to continue offering a firstrate service.”
photo: personal file
Maritime pilot Julio Simões, president in 1986 and 1987
Maritime pilot Julio Console Simões, from São Paulo State (ZP-16),
(ABAC), the National Center of Transatlantic Navigation (Centronave) and Petrobras:
“We learned about local problems in more distant and smaller ports. There is no single criterion, since the realities are quite different. But, with work, unity and perseverance, we were recognized and distinguished in our career.”
Julio Simões believes that the profession has progressed as a result of everyone’s participation, involving old and new maritime pilots:
“The Council grew, changed, recruited colleagues and painted the pages of our ports. The issues, of course, multiply as a result of the expansion of the service locations. It is, however, recognized everywhere.”
His forecast for the next few years is that there will be more challenges, requiring more representation and integration of the profession both at home and abroad. “In this sense,” he says, “it is important to keep the trade name Praticagem do Brasil and publicize it to the general public”.
photo: personal file
Horizon is promising both at home and abroad
Maritime pilot Mauro de Assis, president in 1990 and 1991
Maritime pilot Mauro de Assis, from the State of Rio de Janeiro (ZP-15), was president of the Brazilian Maritime Pilots' Association in 1990 and 1991, a time that he claims was generally peaceful and with no problems.
He said that the importance of the institution was to combine the different interests of maritime pilots all over Brazil and manage them, finding solutions such as official representation before the regulatory body, the Brazilian Navy.
His father, José Francisco de Assis, was one of the founders of the first organized pilotage formalized in the State of Rio de Janeiro in 1939. Mauro de Assis was already approved as a maritime pilot practitioner in the 1975 selection process, the year when the Brazilian Maritime Pilots' Association was founded. His experience in the profession enables him to compare the challenges of yesterday's and today's service:
“The maneuvers were made more intuitively, since the majority of electronic equipment currently used as shipping aids did not exist. Contact with tugs was made with a whistle blown by the pilot and by the ship's whistle. The use of the different resources now in existence undoubtedly made the maneuvers safer.”
The former president believes that the minimal number of accidents in pilotage maneuvers clearly demonstrates the environmental protection provided by the service, and also demonstrates that the
photo: personal file
Our major risk is to forget the past
São Paulo State maritime pilot (ZP-16), Paulo Esteves, president of Brazilian Maritime Pilots' Association in 1997 and 1998. He considers this period one of most memorable in the history of the profession. The struggle to achieve recognition, valorization and respect for the category. And the institution’s structures was far from modern, even presenting financial problems.
“We were regarded with mistrust, misunderstanding and constantly attacked on various fronts”, he recalls.
Paulo Esteves commented that the Waterway Traffic Safety Law (Lesta), which deals with pilotage, had just been enacted and with it came the threat of regulation by decree. Twenty-two organizations were asked for their opinion on the service, many biased by their own interests.
The aim was to strengthen the profession, harmonize regional differences and build a more solid future, despite the huge
Maritime pilot Paulo Esteves, president in 1997 and 1998
challenges. In the Amazon, he says, there were even Peruvian maritime pilots operating in Brazilian territory, “an affront to our sovereignty”. Considering this scenario, a group of maritime pilots from Santos, São Sebastião, Rio de Janeiro, Vitória and Belém met in a collegiate, which he came to preside over.“
With supports from such maritime pilots as Helcio Kerr, then the vice-president of the International Maritime Pilots’ Association (IMPA), we reinforced international relations and invited the President of IMPA, Michel Pouliot, to Brazil to discuss with the Brazilian Navy about how pilotage was conducted abroad. It was a strategic turning point. International insurance companies also spoke out, helping to change the narrative surrounding us. Our fight was a collective one to reinforce the profession, not just individual pilotage.”
Amidst all kinds of attacks from various sources, the future was built on the basis of long meetings with the Navy's Director of Ports and Coasts, Vice Admiral Casales.
According to the ex-president, it was from this union that the professional structure was born that today sustains the activity. One of the measures to keep the collective spirit alive was the creation of the embryonic Rumos Práticos magazine.
In his view, there is no doubt that pilotage has come a long way, but it is essential that everyone knows how far it has come, what it has faced and what has been lost along the way, otherwise it will retreat:
“The greatest risk of a promising future is forgetting the past that made it possible. That's why, rather than answers, I leave you with questions: how can we keep alive the memory of our struggle? How can we ensure that new generations know that the privileges we enjoy were won with sweat, tension and courage? How can we value not just the present, but the path we have traveled? The future of pilotage will certainly be better and better if we always remember where we came from.”
We greet the first delegations of the Brazilian Navy
Maritime pilot Carlos Massayoshi Naito, president in the two-year period 1999-2000
Carlos Massayoshi Naito worked as a maritime pilot in Ceará State and presided the Brazilian Maritime Pilots' Association in 1999 and 2000. He graduated as maritime pilot in 1996, when the profession was leaving one more price-related crisis with shipowners, a situation currently settled due to the new pilotage law.
In 1997, he took over as head of the Ceará State Pilots’ Association, changed that year to a business company, following a national trend. He was elected president of the National Council in 1998.
When he was president, the journal Embarque do Prático (Pilot Embarkation), today’s Rumos Práticos, was launched. Also, the institution received from the Brazilian Navy a delegation to approve the operations centers (pilot stations) and the pilot boats. Today, the Council not only inspects the pilot boats for the Marine Authority approval, but also approves the pilot stations and crews of the vessels in the service.
This task enabled him to get to know the existing service structures in the country, fueling the desire for Ceará's Pilotage to reach the status of the others, respected worldwide. The dream was finally fulfilled with the inauguration of the new office in Fortaleza, in 2008, after completing ten years as president of the local pilotage. In 2013 he decided to retire after 50 years of sea life:
“That moment of achievement in 2008 caused me to recall the time spent in pilotage. The memory of that period navigated the moment I took over the Association without any structure acting as president of the Brazilian Maritime Pilots' Association, when the delegation to approve stations and boats was completed in two years, acting as an inspiration to achieve our dream. During this period, we also organized the 13 th National Pilotage Meeting, a major event to exchange professional experiences and congregate the maritime pilots and their family members.
photo:
Our future depends on strategic action
Maritime pilot Otavio Fragoso works in Rio de Janeiro State (ZP-15) and took over as President of the Brazilian Maritime Pilots' Association in 2003, still a very troubled time, after a long process in the Administrative Council for Economic Defense (CADE) which resulted in consequences in the pilotage organization in late 1990. The issue began in 1986, after a discussion on charging for pilot boats in Paranaguá and became a debate on the organization of pilotage in Brazil. The outcome was only in 2005, with a decision in favor of the pilots.
Consequently, the approval of the Waterways Traffic Safety Act in 1997, the edition of the decree that regulated it in 1998, and the subsequent revision of the amended Maritime Pilotage regulations, substantially altered the pilotage organization and the form of pilot boats and operations center (pilot station). Moreover, they forced a price review and service conditions based on memoranda of understanding signed between the Brazilian Maritime Pilots' Association and the main associations representing shipowners and service users.
Maritime pilot Otavio Fragoso, president in 2003 and 2004
According to Otavio Fragoso, the changes had different effects on each pilotage zone, albeit necessary, in his view, to settle a dispute involving not only the Brazilian Maritime Pilots' Association and local agencies, but also the Executive power, business confederations, representatives of ports, terminals and shipowners.
“The changes caused imbalances resulting in a growing discontent in some pilotage stations; a mood of division and threat of weakening the national institute. The main problems were to maintain the Council’s leadership in steering the pilotage, to restore the internal unit and ensure the inflow of resources to support the activities that we began as a result of the requirements of the new legislation and institutional strengthening to overcome the wear and tear inherited from the crisis, that peaked in the Cade process”, – states Otavio Fragoso, who was senior vice-president of the International Association of Maritime Pilots (Impa).
Among the activities undertaken by the Council during the period, Otavio Fragoso highlights the implementation of the Pilots’ Refresher Course (ATPR); the Technical Council’s work in standardizing pilot boats and pilot stations; and reinforcing the relationship with the Maritime Authority and Executive sectors, in addition to rebuilding bridges with shipowner representatives, quite damaged by the earlier disputes.
Otavio Fragoso, today, believes that almost all members clearly see the importance of the organization at a nationwide level:
“I understand that this view is the result of our different positive and negative experiences, namely over the past 30 years, and which have molded the Council we have today. With rare exceptions, the maritime pilots support all endeavors that aim to strengthen the organizations that comprise Brazilian Maritime Pilot's Association. They perceive that our future depends on a strategic action to guarantee the technical standard of the service and the ongoing professional updating, in addition to supplying the tools to protect and maintain the longevity of the institution.”
p hoto: Gustavo Stephan
Our focus must be on providing efficiency and safety ccc
After the strain of the process of organizing the Administrative Council of Economic Defense (CADE), the administration following from the Brazilian Maritime Pilots' Association was very peaceful, recalls former president Decio Antonio Luiz. He ran the institute in 2005 and 2006, and was maritime pilot in the state of Paraná (ZP-17).
“We actually had no serious problems. I was lucky, perhaps because of how I deal with people. I’ve always been guided by fair behaviour, dealing with everyone very politely and demanding the same for me. There were no major arguments, except for one or other issue on price but settled in conversation. I like to trim the edges”, Decio said, adding that he focused on providing an efficient and safe service. “My main objective was to meet the demand of the ships with punctuality and quality.”
The former president is from the Brazilian Navy. By option, I preferred to leave the institution as captain before I became a rear admiral.” He was also fortunate to become a friend of a colleague in the Directorate of Ports and Coasts. The director had been his officer when he captained a ship.
Decio Luiz was lucky to become captain of the ports of Paraná (1975-1977) before he became a maritime pilot, which facilitated his relationship with stakeholders.
“I knew the port and its operators well. Moreover, I had tried both sides, both as ship’s captain and maritime pilot.”
“So I had some understanding of the problems and got on well with everyone. I my opinion, pilotage must be efficient and address the pros and cons of each requirement of the shipowners. Fore example, there is no point in mooring a 300-meter ship in an incompatible berth.”
Maritime pilot Décio Luiz, president in 2005 and 2006
A guide involving key questions regarding pilotage ALL ABOUT PILOTAGE
photo:
The dispute with shipowners has been reduced
Carlos Eloy Cardoso Filho was a maritime pilot in São Paulo for 52 years and president of the Brazilian Maritime Pilots' Association in 2007 and 2008, as one of its founders. During his administration he would say that the business negotiation of the service’s price was the main issue and, in his understanding, he would accept it as a challenge:
“I perfectly understand that the dispute with shipowners, through shipping agents, is far less now, with more respect given to pilotage. But this divergence on the values charged, of course, will always exist at home and abroad.”
In Carlos Eloy Cardoso’s opinion, “Pilotage has managed to show that it is an environmental requirement for society and economic for shipowners, since the cost of the service is much lower than the sum that the service adds to the system in terms of efficiency and safety of shipping”:
Maritime pilot Carlos Eloy Cardoso Filho, president in 2007 and 2008
“If a maritime pilot’s service is not used and the vessel is damaged, the expense is much higher as a result of repairs and an anchored ship.”
Even from a distance the former president accompanies the progress of the profession and its adaptation to the new technological resources on board and onshore:
“This technical part of the service has advanced greatly and contributed to fast decision-making, both on the bridge and in our operations centers.”
Eloy Cardoso Filho stresses that as the entity responsible for coordinating the pilot’s refresher course, the Brazilian Maritime Pilots' Association is key to preparing the pilots for the development of the maritime industry and acts as representative and intermediator body of all pilotage entities, officially recognized by the Brazilian Navy.
Maritime pilot Marcelo Cajaty, president in 2009 and 2010
Today the profession
is respected in the
Legislature, Executive and Judiciary powers
Ports and Coasts to set prices for the service, an action raised in Court.
Marcelo Cajaty, a maritime pilot from Rio Grande do Sul (RS) –pilotage zone 19 –, was president of the Brazilian Maritime Pilots' Association in 2009 and 2010, a time when Brazilian pilotage was still undergoing institutional structure, and the problems were settled locally, within the jurisdiction of the port authorities.
The situation began to change after the process of the bill no. 1636, which aimed to amend the Waterways Traffic Safety Act in order to encourage competition between maritime pilots, a model detrimental to shipping safety. “It’s very convenient that it should be made clear of the possibility that there is competition in the supply of the service", justified the text.
“It was the first attack at a national level against the pilotage system. We were obligated to quickly surround ourselves with legal and parliamentary advisors. The change to tackle the problems and attacks that became more robust has been huge,” Cajaty tells us.
The matter demanded hard work to accompany the bill (filed in 2019) and others that followed in the congress in Brasilia. At the same time, Brazil’s National Center for Transatlantic Navigation (ex-CNNT, now Centronave) – began a dispute with pilotage in the ZPs (Pilotage Zones), leading to the Brazilian Navy Directorate of
Another stressful point was the announcement of a survey of the Center for Studies in Naval Management (CEGN) by the then Special Secretariat of Ports. The survey adopted an international price comparison not in favor of the Brazilian pilotage considering the bias of its formation, considering the poor representation of American and European ports. Although amended later, the study graph was later used in claims over values.
“The Brazilian pilotage system was definitely under attack.”
In Cajaty’s opinion, the Brazilian Maritime Pilots' Association was and still is of key importance with the escalation of the servicerelated matters:
“When the matters ceased to be local, it was essential to have an organization that would concentrate the institutional structure to coordinate and control the actions on behalf of pilotage. In those 50 years, the Council upgraded to overcome the emerging and imminent challenges. Depending on the seriousness of the people at the head of the institution and the relevance and quality of the service, the profession has been growing in strength in the national debate, and today is well-known and respected in the Executive, Legislature and Judiciary powers,” emphasized the ex-president, also acknowledging that he was a member for 20 years in the Brazilian delegation in the International Maritime Organization (IMO), in London.”
photo: personal file
We’ve never been criticized for the quality of our service
Ricardo Falcão, the president with most mandates on the Brazilian Maritime Pilots’ Association, twice re-elected, is a maritime pilot from the Eastern Amazon Basin (ZP-01). He was head of the institution from 2011 to 2014 and 2020 to 2023. Today, he is still director. During his administration, the Brazilian Maritime Pilotage Institute was inaugurated in Brasilia, and a new pilotage act was approved.
“I was elected before the discussion regarding the creation of the National Commission for Pilotage Affairs. At that time, the matters relating to the service were found in the Maritime Authority Standards for the Brazilian pilotage (then Standard-12). Everything was settled by an order issued by the director of Ports and Coasts or through an amendment to a Standard. The topic (regulating the profession) eventually went to the Civil Office and the Presidency of the Republic. And several players joined the discussion. When we became aware, it had become a discussion with congressmen, senators and ministers, who interacted directly with the head of the Defence portfolio. This forced us to evolve as a major institution. We sought to level the information with the Legislature and ministries created and reshuffled. The Ports Secretariat became the Ministry of Ports, then Ministry of Infrastructure and now Ministry of Ports and Airports, each with a weight, requiring different interaction.”
After 15 years since its first election, the main change was legislative with approval of the new Pilotage Act no. 14,813 in 2024, which updated the text of act 9,537 dated 1997. Consequently, world renowned shipping safety criteria were incorporated to the Regulation, in addition to the jurisprudence of higher courts. The legislation brought regulatory stability, preventing any change by discretionary act or political influence.
During Falcão’s administration, the profession decided to move to Brasilia and establish an Institute, with its own training center equipped with already approved simulators.
Maritime pilot Ricardo Falcão, president from 2011 to 2014 and from 2020 to 2023
“It was a dream born long ago. So we guaranteed uniform training for all maritime pilots. When I took over, we had just completed the first cycle of the Maritime Pilots’ Refresher Course (ATPR). Despite the entire pioneering nature of the course, it was a new experience. Today, we are much more efficient and its capacitybuilding method is copied worldwide. By means of our simulators, we have increasingly become a benchmark in assessing port access, new channels and classes of ships, supporting the Ministry of Ports and Airports and the agencies that require this type of information.
“If, on one hand, the selective process for maritime pilot apprentices, in 2012, interfered slightly in maintaining the experience with excess of professionals, on the other, it brought diversity of ideas and a new organizational culture,” emphasizes Falcão.
Today, Brazilian pilotage enjoys international respect:
“We’ve never been criticized for the quality of the service, no matter which player challenges us. The result of this was we had Helcio Kerr, vice-president of the International Maritime Pilots’ Association (Impa); Otavio Fragoso, vice-president and senior vice-president; and I’ve spent 12 years as vice-president. This reflects the recognition of quality.”
Ricardo Falcão believes that the National Pilotage Council is essential for upgrading the profession, considering how complex the country is.
“We have Santa Catarina with three pilotage zones and the entire Amazon the size of Western Europe with only three ZPs, considering the Amazon River and its tributaries. Brazil is very diverse. So, how do we express all those views and the needs of each one? We have pilotages where the maneuver takes one hour and others that take three days. We always need a representative that understands this reality and represents us before the Maritime Authority and the agencies and autarchies relating to the service. There is no 100% equal standard in Brazil, but the service varies throughout the country. What is important is to be top performance, despite the adjustments required by ZP.”
Maintaining unity is the greatest challenge
Maritime pilot Gustavo Martins in the States of Paraná (ZP-17), was president of the Brazilian Maritime Pilots' Association from 2015 to 2019. When he took over, pilotage was under a lot of political pressure and permeated by legal uncertainty. The National Committee for Pilotage Affairs (CNAP) was active, and its price lists were only not applied by court decisions that could be reversed. Moreover, there was the challenge of integrating the large number of maritime pilots from the 2012 team, without detriment to the unity of the category and the maintenance of everyone's experience. After all, the demand and future forecast of maneuvers did not yet require so many professionals.
“The perception was that the service model could be degraded, leading to a drop in the quality of service and compromising navigation safety.”
According to Gustavo, in continuity with the actions of its predecessors, the board of the Brazilian Maritime Pilots' Association endeavored to expand its institutional role. The slogan “Brazilian pilotage – On the Right Course” was adopted, and began to regulate the council’s participation in maritime and port events, in order to clarify the importance of the profession and publicize a maritime mindset.
Within the three powers of government, several meetings were held with decision-makers, in order to explain the service model and defend its legal stability to guarantee the quality and effectiveness of its services.
One result of these meetings was the support for Bill 2149/2015, by former federal deputy Raimundo Gomes de Matos, which, according to the former president, changed the paradigm of parliamentary action on pilotage:
“Previously, our action was reactive to the proposals put forward in Congress. In this bill, it was proposed to include relevant provisions in a Maritime Authority standard (currently Standard-311), in the Waterway Traffic Safety Law (Lesta). These were issues that were frequently questioned by segments that, at the very least, were unaware of the reality of the service.
Maritime pilot Gustavo Martins, president 2015 to 2019
On the legal front, efforts continued to demonstrate the illegalness of the price fixing proposed by CNAP. Success was achieved with a decision by the Superior Court of Justice (STJ) defending the free negotiation of values between the parties: shipowners and pilotage. This decision was upheld by the Federal Supreme Court (STF). Another important initiative was the support for publishing a book on maritime law organized by the then STF minister, Ricardo Lewandowski. The book addressed aspects of pilotage-related legislation.
Internally, the focus was on maintaining unity at a time when the number of maritime pilots was increasing. To this end, many visits were made to the pilotage zones in order to learn more about problems, criticisms and suggestions. In this work, special attention was paid to the pilotage zones with fewest vessels, most of them affected by the increase in capacity and lack of policies for maintaining access channels and port structures considering the increase in the size of vessels. On another front, the technical knowledge course was started for pilotage station operators (pilot station), contributing to the standardization of procedures in the ZPs and better training.
“I consider maintaining the unity of the category in favor of the established model of service provision to be the biggest challenge at present.”
In Gustavo’s opinion, the institution's work is fundamental for the ongoing development of the profession. Some of the examples he mentions are the coordination of the Maritime Pilot Refresher Course (ATPR), which is an international benchmark, and the performance of the Technical Council, when analyzing challenges and approving pilot's station and speedboat crews, for maintaining the appropriate standard in different regions.
“ Without the Brazilian Maritime Pilots' Association, there would be no Brazilian pilotage but rather a heterogeneous set of regional pilotages with no reference to action.“
We need to increase the visibility of the profession in society
Maritime pilot Bruno Fonseca, current president of Brazilian Maritime Pilots’ Association, after acting as vice-president and technical director in two mandates, has been working in Ceará State (ZP-05) for 13 years. He said that “When he joined the service, the scenario was very challenging, especially with regard to regulations, until the new Pilotage Act was approved in 2024, bringing legal safety and regulatory stability for the profession.”
In addition to legislation, Bruno Fonseca mentions progress, namely the increasing recognition of the importance of the service, after being widely publicized to the public; the “more frequent and well structured” investments in studies, technology and training courses; and the inauguration of the Brazilian Maritime Pilotage Institute and its simulations center in Brasilia, which facilitated integration with regulatory bodies.
“We have to continue raising public awareness on the strategic importance of this complex profession, going far beyond maneuvers.“
The challenges changed since he qualified as a maritime pilot, The environmental issue” he stressed, “has become a key issue, being the focus not only on efficient operations but also on more sustainable navigation.”
“We also deal with increasingly large ships, which require innovative solutions and even more robust capacity-building, since the port infrastructure remains practically the same.
One of the main issues of its administration stresses is that safe navigation continues as a support. The aim is to even further reduce the rate of accidents in operations, to keep Brazil as a world bench-
Maritime pilot Bruno Fonseca, current president
mark of safe pilotage. This is the result of continuously reviewing technical procedures and investment in specialized training, using the complete simulation capacity of the Brazilian Maritime Pilotage Institute. Another goal is to reinforce the Institute’s role, in this regard, by offering courses for the internal and external public with regard to its technical cooperation to assess and to improve maritime and port projects.”
Taking sustainable actions has become an increasing priority. The Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) began in 2025 by conducting the first “carbon inventory” for the entire Brazilian pilotage. The survey will enable the adoption of measures to compensate for the emissions, collaborating for the sustainability in the maritime and port sectors.
Signing international agreements addressing pollution resulting from accidents and removal of debris is an agenda committed to the effort of pilotage in Congress. The aim is to extend Brazil’s capacity to tackle environmental disasters.
Lastly, communication will be intensified to help society understand and appreciate the maritime pilots’ role in making ports safer and more efficient. A strategic move is that the Brazilian Maritime Pilots' Association will, from now on, use its trade name Praticagem do Brasil in all spheres of relationship.
According to the president, the Council plays a key role as an institutional umbrella of the pilotage stations, acting as a point of convergence and representation of the category’s interests before the government authorities, private sector and the general public.
“The main objectives are to secure our progress, promote technical debates and find solutions for challenges shared between the pilotage zones. Dialog with the Brazilian Navy, Congress and other institutions is strategic to secure the achieved regulations, keeping Brazilian Maritime Pilots'Association as a global benchmark and in line with the recommendations of the International Maritime Organization (IMO).”
p hoto: Gustavo Stephan
1
2 Expedito José Damasco, president in 1978
3 Fernando Evangelista, president in 1979
4 Adriano Gustavo Vidal, president in 1982 and 1983
5 Oscar Acosta, president in 1988 and 1989 6 Herbert Hasselmann, president 1992 to 1996
Mariano Castro Junior, president 1975 to 1977
A journey of achievements over the past fifty years
IMPA hotel inspection of the 2028 Congress
O president Simon Pelletier and secretary Matthew Williams were welcomed by the organizers in Bahia
Maritime pilot Simon Pelletier, president of the International Maritime Pilots’ Association (IMPA), and its secretary-general, Matthew Williams, visited Brazil to inspect one of the possible venues to welcome the World Pilotage Congress. The event in Brazil is one of the possible venues to host the world pilotage congress planned for September 2028, after Indonesia has hosted it in 2026.
Simon Pelletier and Matthew Williams were guests in a resort on the Sauipe Coast on the northern coast of Bahia, around an hour and a half from Salvador, the colonial capital. The venue has four different accommodation options and a convention center with a 2,500 seating capacity. By 2027, the plan is to inaugurate a water park.
They watched the presentations of the hotel team and the Brazilian Maritime Pilots' Association, and were able to settle any doubts. The idea is to hold a pre-event regatta and to offer foreign colleagues the Maritijme Pilots’ Refresher Course
(ATPR), both before and after the Congress program. Brazil is an international training benchmark.
“I was very pleased with what I saw. The hotel is very good, and I think that it would be a suitable venue for the 2028 Congress in Brazil. We’re looking forward to it”, said Simon Pelletier.
Maritime pilot Ricardo Falcão, director of Brazilian Maritime Pilots' Association and one of the IMPA vice-presidents, stressed the importance of early preparation:
“From now on, it’s very important to cover all aspects of this major event, so that the maritime pilots and their families have the best experience in Sauipe and Salvador.”
In addition to the nearby capital’s tourist attractions, the Sauipe Coast resort is half an hour from the picturesque Praia do Forte
RICARDO FALCÃO, SIMON PELLETIER, BRUNO FONSECA AND MATTHEW WILLIAMS
and its village of bars and restaurants. In 1982, the Tamar Project was founded to rehabilitate and protect sea turtles, and is open to visitors.
After his Sauipe visit, Simon Pelletier continued his trip to Salvador, where he was welcomed to the Bahia Pilotage operations center. Manager Victor Hugo Villafán introduced him to the pilotage zone and service structure. Thirty-one maritime pilots complete approximately 4,500 maneuvers a year, in ports and terminals spread around The All Saints Bay and in Ilhéus (on the southern coast of the State).
“The operations center is state of the art. The Brazilian maritime pilots are ready to face the challenges that the future might bring. I was here 40 years ago and could see the extreme development over this period“, stressed Simon Pelletier.
The IMPA congress attracts maritime pilots from all over the world. Founded in 1970 as the voice of pilotage in International Maritime Organization (IMO), the institution represents more than 8,000 professionals from more than 50 countries. It is responsible for programming the Congress talks, always concerned with selecting and discussing topics common to the global maritime pilot community, such as shipping safety and technology.
photo: Rodrigo March
photo: Rodrigo March
SIMON PELLETIER VISITING BAHIA PILOTAGE
EVENTS
SEMINAR IN ARGENTINA DISCUSSES ACCIDENTS AND THEIR CONSEQUENCES
Maritime pilot Otavio Fragoso was one of the speakers at the international Pilotage and Environment seminar: Accidents and their Consequences, held in March in Argentina. He discussed the pillars on which Brazil bases its operating system and the safety of shipping in the free competition system between maritime pilots. The event was attended by consultant Marcus Lisboa, who addressed the environmental impacts of accidents involving oil tankers. The expert mentioned the emblematic case of the Exxon Valdez oil spill in Alaska in 1989. The vessel did not request the maritime pilot advisory service.
MANEUVER INCIDENTS ARE ALSO FOCUS AT THE COLUMBIA CONGRESS
April was the month when Colombia held its event on accidents. This was the third year of the Congress on Lessons Learned from Serious Accidents and Pilotage Maneuver Incidents. Maritime pilot Bruno Fonseca, president of Brazilian Maritime Pilots' Association, addressed the Brazilian pilotage data, the importance of accident investigation or prevention and the main investigative methods. Maritime pilot Porthos Lima, from Rio de Janeiro, was on the panel entitled "The value of simulation in preventing and investigating accidents”.
PILOTAGE BOAT WILL DO ONGOING SURVEY IN THE AMAZON RIVER
Eastern Amazon Basin pilotage took another step to contribute to the gain in draft of ships carrying freight on the Amazon River. The service procured a vessel to undertake an ongoing survey of the depth in the North Bar and the river. Since the waters in the North Bar are turbulent, a catamaran, more stable, was chosen to do the ordinary survey work. The vessel arrived from Santa Catarina to operate in the Amazon. The pilotage already has a buoy for collecting meteorological and oceanographic information anchored in the North Bar, equipment that is part of the dynamic draft system. In March, the ship Penelope I crossed an 11.85-meter keel, a record in the battery of tests in progress.
EXCHANGE
SÃO PAULO PILOTAGE SHARES EXPERIENCES WITH CANADA
A Canadian delegation visited São Paulo Pilotage and accompanied maneuvers in Santos, as an example for the Port of Montreal. The port complex studies the feasibility for receiving large container ships in order to be more competitive. "The Port hired us to assess the maneuverability of such ships in similar contexts. We chose Santos due to its the heavy traffic, the frequent presence of MSC container ships with the dimensions studied (300m x 48m), the narrow channel and low under-keel clearance, characteristics found in the St Lawrence River", explained Alain Arseneault, executive director from Canada's National Maritime Pilotage Center of Expertise and maritime pilot in the stretch of river between Trois-Rivières and Montreal. He was accompanied by Philippe Kaufmann, president of the maritime pilots’ technical committee from the middle stretch of St Lawrence River and maritime pilot between Quebec and Trois-Rivières, together with Jean-François Belzile, representative of the Port Authority.
DOCTOR EDSON MESQUITA REINFORCES THE BRAZILIAN MARITIME PILOTAGE INSTITUTE
Dr Edson Mesquita was hired as technical consultant for the Brazilian Maritime Pilotage Institute in Brasilia. His tasks will include contributing to the studies of maneuverability and port planning, and to advise the local pilotage. For 35 years, Mesquita lectured at the Merchant Navy Officers’ Training School, of the Almirante Graça Aranha Training Center of the Brazilian Navy. He continues as instructor of the Maritime Pilots’ Refresher Course (ATPR), coordinated by the Brazilian Maritime Pilots' Association. The professor, a benchmark in academia and the maritime community, is author of the books Ship Maneuverability in the 21st century century and Principles of Hydro-dynamics and Action of waves on ship motions. He is also one of the coordinators of the book: Port Planning – Nautical Access Recommendations.
photo: Paula Carrubba
photo:
Rodrigo Silva
MEDIA SUCCESS
THE AMAZON ON RADAR
A bulk carrier leaving the Amazon River for the open sea was the highlight of our social media audience. The details of the 39-hour crossing from Macapá (Amapá State) were shown on video by maritime pilot Ricardo Falcão. The film portrayed him commenting on the critical stretches of the crossings in the Curuá Grand Canal and the North Bar, only safely navigable thanks to the pilotage investments in depth sounding and tide analysis. The publication recorded 94,000 views.
BOW THRUSTER MANEUVER
Maritime pilot Marcos Martinelli celebrated the internauts showing moments using a bow thruster. “Night-time mooring was performed in the Outeiro terminal (Pará). A relative- ly strong current flowed, throwing the ship off course. All the time push the bow thruster to starboard and keep the head lines tight. It was a ship partly loaded with wheat", reported Martinelli in the publication with 50,000 views.
FROM THE PILOT’S VIEWPOINT
And one more task recorded with smart glasses by maritime pilot Bruno Fonseca appears between the posts most watched during that period. This time, our followers climbed on board, to enter and berth in Port of Fortaleza (CE). The vessel carried 10,000 tons of gasoline, reinforcing more work for the maritime pilot in protecting the environment. Forty-four views were observed on social media.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
The three videos were submitted by the maritime pilots and edited by our communication team. We thank them for their collaborations, without which we would not have managed to keep our channels active, bringing business closer to society. We are present on Instagram, Facebook, YouTube and Twitter.
PUBLICATIONS
Over the years, the Brazilian Maritime Pilots' Association supports the publication of books that contribute to the technical-scientific dissemination in the port sector and the appreciation of the maritime mentality. Its library also has a collection of more than 200 publications for consultation by maritime pilots.
PORT PLANNING
Nautical Access Recommendations
Port Planning – Nautical Access Recommendations is a contribution from 25 authors with suggestions for port projects or for changes to existing facilities.
Under the coordination of professors Edson Mesquita dos Santos and Sergio H. Sphaier, naval consultant Mario Calixto and maritime pilot Marcelo Cajaty, the work brings together the most up-to-date international references on the subject.
Among the authors are designers, researchers, engineers, water transport workers, shipowners, port workers, maritime pilots and representatives terminals. They were based on documents from the International Nautical Association (PIANC), the manual of the US Army Corps of Engineers and recommendations for maritime works in Spain.
The preface is written by the director of the Brazilian Waterway Transportation Agency (Antaq), Vice Admiral Wilson Pereira de Lima Filho, former president of the Maritime Court. The book is published by Brazilian Maritime Pilots' Association. The book is available for free download at práticagemdobrasil.org.br
