Itajaí access channel reopens with restrictions after 71-hour suspension

On 10 November 2026, the Superintendence of the Port of Itajaí (SPI) said the Brazilian Navy had declared the bar practicable with restrictions from 09:00 local time. The reopening applied to the stretch between the organised port area and the Braskarne Terminal.

According to the SPI statement published by DataPortuaria, navigation had been suspended from 10:07 on 7 November because of strong currents in the Itajaí-Açu River. SPI said total impracticability remained upstream of Braskarne for vessels subject to compulsory pilotage. It also said manoeuvres would be authorised only in suitable operating windows and subject to current parameters and navigation-safety conditions.

Hapag-Lloyd’s separate Latin America operational update, last updated on 10 November, reported adverse weather conditions at Itajaí Port Berth 1. It described average terminal waiting time as below six hours and dwell time as below its target. That carrier update independently supports the presence of weather-related operating pressure at Itajaí, but it does not independently verify the Navy’s restriction, the duration of the channel closure, or conditions at other berths and terminals.

**Analysis:** The reopening is operationally significant because it restores limited marine access after nearly three days of interruption, while leaving the port’s navigation regime conditional rather than normalised. For vessels whose calls require pilotage upstream of Braskarne, the reported continued impracticability is the more consequential constraint. A declaration of practicability with restrictions should not be read as confirmation that every vessel can transit, berth or sail on schedule.

**Why this matters:** Shipowners, masters, operators, charterers, cargo interests and P&I correspondents may face berth-window changes, revised pilotage sequencing, tidal or current-window constraints, and knock-on effects on cargo cut-offs and landside planning. The available evidence does not establish vessel-specific delays, safe draught, transit eligibility, or a forecast for full reopening. Those matters remain for confirmation with the harbourmaster, pilotage provider, terminal, local agent and the applicable port notices.

This is an editorial operational briefing based on the reported port statement and a separate carrier update; it is not a navigation instruction, clearance, or assessment of safe passage.