Brazil injects US$319M for massive programme to build inland barges, pusher tugs

Brazil’s Merchant Marine Fund (FMM) will invest R$1.7Bn (US$319M) for the construction of 188 vessels, including a mix of inland barges and pusher tugs in the country’s state of Amazonas.
The funding, announced on 29 September by the Minister of Ports and Airports, Silvio Costa Filho, backs vessel-building projects for LHG Mining and Hermasa, and will generate an estimated 10,000 jobs. Minister Costa was in Amazonas to attend the inauguration of the river port of Envira and the announcement of the modernisation of the port facility in Eirunepé, in Amazonas.
The projects support Brazil’s aim to revive its shipbuilding industry. He noted that since 2023, R$70Bn (US$13Bn) from the FMM has been prioritised for investment in projects, three times the amount approved between 2019 and 2022.
“There is already more than R$25Bn (US$4.7Bn) in credit through the Merchant Marine Fund, resources also for Petrobras projects and projects like this one, which is essential for the flow of Brazilian production," he said.
As part of the funding announcement on 29 September, the minister attended the delivery ceremony of the first iron ore barges, part of the LHG Mining project, at the Juruá Shipyard.
The 3,000-dwt hopper barge, designed by Robert Allan Ltd (RAL), was launched at the shipyard in May. The event marked a major milestone in LHG Mining’s ambitious river transportation initiative in South America.
This inaugural barge is part of a 400-unit fleet commissioned by LHG Mining to enable the efficient, sustainable transport of high-grade iron ore from Corumbá, Brazil, to export terminals in Uruguay. The cargo will travel over 2,500 km along the Paraná–Paraguay Waterway, a vital inland corridor connecting Brazil, Bolivia, Paraguay, Argentina, and Uruguay to the Atlantic Ocean.
Each convoy is comprised of 16 barges (eight rake and eight box barges) pushed by a high-powered inland RApide pushboat, also designed by RAL. Each convoy will transport over 50,000 dwt of iron ore, matching the capacity of a typical Supramax ore carrier.
A total of 128 vessels are planned for Amazonas, with investments of R$1.36Bn (US$255M) in the state, financed by the FMM. The company will build a total of 400 barges and 15 pusher tugs, with a total investment of R$4.3Bn (US$808M), at shipyards in Amazonas, Bahia, Pará, and São Paulo.
Hermasa will build 60 bulk barges and two pusher tugs, including models with capacities of up to 2,000 tonnes. The investment is R$384.3M (US$72.2M), with funding from the FMM.