CONSTRUINDO UM INDICADOR DE ACESSIBILIDADE AOS PORTOS PÚBLICOS BRASILEIROS

Building an accessibility indicator for Brazilian public ports

Abstract

Ports play a strategic role in Brazil's economic growth. The increase in maritime imports  and exports has generated a growing demand for these services; however, logistical and  transportation inefficiencies have hindered port operations. Thus, this paper develops a  comprehensive accessibility index for Brazilian ports considering factors such as draft depth,  connectivity with other modes of transportation, distance to state capitals, and quality of access  roads, aiming to identify ports with the best accessibility in the country. Among the results, it was
identified that the most accessible ports include Santos, Itaguaí, Rio de Janeiro, Paranaguá, São  Sebastião, and Itaqui, with an accessibility index above 0.60. On the other hand, ports such as Areia  Branca, Ilhéus, Santana, Maceió, Recife, Aratu, and Santarém presented the worst results, with indices below 0.40. This highlights the importance of solid infrastructure and market potential to  improve accessibility. Additionally, the need for investments in waterway transportation  infrastructure, especially in draft depth, was observed. Ports like Pelotas, Porto Alegre, and Estrela  were identified with the shallowest drafts, registering extremely low accessibility indices (0.03 and 0.00). These results have significant implications for  guiding future investments and improvements in Brazil's port infrastructure, aiming to enhance accessibility and stimulate the country's maritime trade.

Keywords: Accessibility Index; Brazil; New Economic Geography