Modelo de custos de transporte fluvial de soja entre Miritituba e os portos exportadores do Arco Norte

Abstract

Since 2013, Brazil is the largest global exporter of soybeans, with volumes growing consistently over the years. The export increases placed pressure on the country’s port logistics, and the Northern Arc, by which the ports located in the north of the country are collectively known, presents itself as a viable and competitive solution for soybean producers in part of Mato Grosso, the largest grain producing region. The vigorous growth of the exports using the Northern Arc’s deep-sea river ports, which grew from 1.9 million tons in 2010, to 11.4 million tons in 2019, requires inland waterway transportation (IWT) to reach them. There are few grain transport operators from the Transhipment Facilities (TF), where the grain changes it’s transport mode from road transportation to IWT, in order to reach the deep-sea river ports that export soybeans. The region of Miritituba / PA concentrates the largest amount of TF and ships the largest volumes of soybeans to these ports, responsible for 59.6% of all grains exported through these ports in 2019. The costs of IWT are not publicly disclosed, and the models available to determine the costs do not consider the peculiarities and characteristics of the Amazon Region. This paper aims to fill a gap regarding specific models to determine the costs of transporting soybeans in barges on the IWT of the Amazon Region, which were not found in research. This is a contemporary case study with quantitative data with application in the area of knowledge in Operational Research (OR) to develop a mathematical model for the simulation of discrete event systems, reflecting a cost analysis. The objectives are to develop a model adapted to the characteristics of IWT logistics in the Northern Arc, identify the main factors critical to success that impact on the costs of river logistics, and study the combinations and how the variables relate to the respective freight costs according to the size of barge tows and destination. Additionally, it allows the IWT system users to better understand the cost composition and to negotiate the best prices, increasing the competitiveness of Brazilian soybean exports.