A consortium led by Belgian dredging firm DEME and Brazil’s FTS secured a 25-year concession on 22 October 2025 to deepen and maintain the access channel of Paranaguá, Brazil’s second-largest grain port. The group bid a 12.63 % tariff discount and R$276 million (€51 million) in upfront fees, beating three rivals in a hotly contested auction.
Under the contract, DEME will deploy trailing-suction hopper dredgers to increase channel depth by up to 1.5 metres, enabling vessels to load an additional 60 tonnes per centimetre of draft. The investment is projected to double annual cargo throughput to 80 million tonnes by 2032, boosting Brazilian soy exports that transit through Antwerp’s break-bulk terminals.
For Belgium this represents both an overseas infrastructure win and an indirect boon to Belgian logistics corridors. Antwerp-Bruges Port Authority said deeper Paranaguá would facilitate larger Panamax shipments that often trans-ship in Zeebrugge before entering EU markets. Belgian logistics firms such as Katoen Natie anticipate increased demand for warehousing and value-added services.
The concession aligns with Belgium’s 2025-2028 Export Strategy, which prioritises maritime engineering as a flagship sector. Flanders Investment & Trade helped broker the consortium, highlighting Belgium’s soft-power toolkit in Latin America.
Global-mobility teams with assignees in Brazil should note that DEME will create 150 expatriate and local specialist roles, including hydrographic surveyors and marine engineers, eligible for Brazil’s ‘new skills’ temporary visas introduced in January 2025. Safety protocols for assignees will include dengue-fever mitigation and Portuguese training.
Under the contract, DEME will deploy trailing-suction hopper dredgers to increase channel depth by up to 1.5 metres, enabling vessels to load an additional 60 tonnes per centimetre of draft. The investment is projected to double annual cargo throughput to 80 million tonnes by 2032, boosting Brazilian soy exports that transit through Antwerp’s break-bulk terminals.
For Belgium this represents both an overseas infrastructure win and an indirect boon to Belgian logistics corridors. Antwerp-Bruges Port Authority said deeper Paranaguá would facilitate larger Panamax shipments that often trans-ship in Zeebrugge before entering EU markets. Belgian logistics firms such as Katoen Natie anticipate increased demand for warehousing and value-added services.
The concession aligns with Belgium’s 2025-2028 Export Strategy, which prioritises maritime engineering as a flagship sector. Flanders Investment & Trade helped broker the consortium, highlighting Belgium’s soft-power toolkit in Latin America.
Global-mobility teams with assignees in Brazil should note that DEME will create 150 expatriate and local specialist roles, including hydrographic surveyors and marine engineers, eligible for Brazil’s ‘new skills’ temporary visas introduced in January 2025. Safety protocols for assignees will include dengue-fever mitigation and Portuguese training.
