Published in abr 17 2025 - 15:49 66361f

Last week, the Santos Port Authority (APS) hosted specialists from the Delft University of Technology (Netherlands) and the Hamburg Port Authority () for a series of meetings and lectures aimed, among other goals, at disseminating information and discussing fluid mud navigation, based on research results conducted at European ports.

According to APS’s CEO, Anderson Pomini, “The activities carried out throughout the week with specialists from the Netherlands and represent a milestone in strengthening international cooperation and incorporating cutting-edge technical knowledge into Brazil’s port sector. Initiatives like this consolidate the position of the ports of Santos and Itajaí as leaders in the development of technical solutions that will serve as references for the entire country.”

Fluid mud is an intermediate layer situated between the water surface and the consolidated nautical bottom, composed of a mixture of water and fine sediments, such as clay and silt. Its main characteristic is its density, which is greater than that of water but still lower than that of consolidated sediments. For this reason, this layer cannot be considered, a priori, as a true nautical bottom, but rather as a transitional interface that, under certain operational conditions, can be navigated safely.

This type of material is common in port and estuarine regions and can directly affect navigability, vessel operations, and maneuver efficiency. Moreover, its presence can pose a challenge for dredging operations.

In some European ports, advanced research and established criteria for fluid mud navigation already exist, enabling the expansion of operational depths without the need for constant dredging, thus reducing costs and environmental impacts. The adoption of models based on nautical bottoms, such as those studied at the ports of Hamburg and Rotterdam, has shown that it is possible to reconcile navigation safety with operational efficiency, as long as there is continuous monitoring and a precise understanding of the behavior of this layer.

The agenda led by the delegation, which also included infrastructure technicians from APS, involved presentations and visits to the ports of Santos and Itajaí, as well as a visit to the University of São Paulo (USP). Field tests were also conducted to collect fluid mud samples using equipment brought by specialists from the Hamburg Port Authority, which had never before been used in Brazil.

The workshop held at the APS headquarters on April 8, 2024, was ed by the Young Professionals (YP) group of PIANC Brazil, which is part of the global non-political, non-profit organization responsible for establishing guidelines for waterway infrastructure. The event facilitated direct between researchers and port sector professionals in response to the growing demand for technical studies addressing the feasibility of fluid mud navigation and the optimization of dredging operations.

During the event, oceanographer Mauricio Bernardo Gaspar Filho and civil engineers Matheus T. Novaes and Felipe Fray Buschinelli, technical staff of APS, launched the PRIDE Program (Program for Research and Innovation in Dredging Engineering). The program will be led by APS with the goal of thoroughly understanding the sedimentary dynamics and the natural and anthropogenic processes that directly influence the characteristics of the nautical bottom in the port complexes under its management. The initiative primarily aims to generate the technical knowledge necessary to propose procedural and technological improvements applicable to dredging operations, making them more efficient, economical, and sustainable.

Regarding the advancement of fluid mud studies in Brazil, Dr. Alex Kirichek, professor and researcher at TU Delft, stated: “The exchange of knowledge between Brazilian and European institutions plays a vital role in advancing sustainable port management. Given Brazil’s complex and unique sedimentary conditions, the development of globally-accepted criteria for safe navigation in fluid mud environments has the potential to significantly transform traditional approaches to dredging. Our EU delegation is highly impressed by APS’s technical dedication and view this initiative as a critical step toward innovative, context-specific solutions tailored to Brazil’s distinct maritime challenges.”

As next steps to address the matter, APS will seek to formalize national and international partnerships with universities, research centers, and other port authorities to carry out technical studies, which will be widely disseminated to the scientific and port communities.