Project Finance

Cabedelo Funds a Wider Turning Basin

Published 31 October 2026 Publisher IMWO Region Americas Confidence Confirmed
Cabedelo concentric-circle comparison: diameter grows from 330m to 450m, about 36%; idealised circle area grows about 86%, distinct from dredging volume.

IMWO original engineering diagram; source: Brazil Ministry of Ports and Airports

A signed BRL 6.7 million funding addendum lifts Cabedelo's dredging allocation to BRL 71.15 million. The awarded design-build package combines sediment and rock removal with a monthly measurement-to-invoice payment sequence.

Funding rises after the September award

Brazil's Ministry of Ports and Airports reports a BRL 6.7 million addendum signed on 23 October to Cabedelo's dredging funding agreement. The allocation rises from BRL 64.45 million to BRL 71.15 million, comprising BRL 44.45 million federal and BRL 26.70 million state funding. The ministry attributes the increase to price updating from the preliminary cost basis. [1] Docas Paraiba's 17 September decision awarded DTA Engenharia the integrated design-and-dredging package at BRL 68,817,995.57. [2] The ministry expects design to begin in November, physical works in March 2027 and completion in July. The planned turning-circle diameter increases from 330 to 450 metres. [1]

A larger basin exposes more ground to the result requirement

Increasing diameter from 330 to 450 metres adds 36% to the diameter and about 86% to the area of an idealised circle. That geometry describes the footprint, while the excavation quantity depends on the starting bed and target surface. The package includes rock removal as well as sediment dredging. The tender risk matrix assigns incorrect soil-versus-rock assessment to the contractor and calls for supplementary geotechnical investigation before rock-removal plant mobilises. It also allocates volume variation arising from differences between estimated and actual sedimentation to the contractor. [4] Ground interpretation and campaign timing therefore affect the amount of plant time required to deliver the specified basin.

Evidence conclusion

The payment clock starts after measurement and approval

September tender clauses 19.1-19.2 require the monthly measurement statement and activity report by the fifth working day after the execution month. Supervision then has up to five working days to authorise invoicing of approved work, followed by payment within 30 days of invoice presentation. Clauses 19.3 and 19.5 retain disputed amounts pending resolution and restart the payment period when an incorrect invoice is corrected. The attached draft contract repeats that sequence. [3] A cash plan must place expenditure against those successive events, including the wait to month-end, approval and a compliant invoice. The risk matrix assigns increased financing cost to the contractor. [4] For execution planning, each work area needs an agreed measurement record and a timely route through checking and invoicing. The signed funding addendum strengthens the project's allocation; the tender provisions explain how executed work is intended to reach payment.

Outstanding evidence

  • Design commencement and the confirmed March-July works programme
  • Rock investigation, target geometry and accepted measurement records
  • Executed contract payment terms and subsequent actual receipts

Related records 1

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