Port of Vitória

Vports Autoridade Portuária S.A., formerly Companhia Docas do Espírito Santo (CODESA): a private company that acts as port authority for the ports of Vitória and Barra do Riacho under Concession Contract nº 01/2022, in effect since 21 September 2022. CODESA's shares were sold on 5 September 2022 and the company took the Vports name on 25 April 2023.^{1, 2, 3}

vports.com.br

• Capitania dos Portos do Espírito Santo (CPES), Brazilian Navy, Rua Belmiro Rodrigues da Silva 145, Enseada do Suá, Vitória.
• Its jurisdiction covers the whole state of Espírito Santo.
• Local rules: NPCP-ES-2024 (Normas e Procedimentos da Capitania dos Portos do Espírito Santo), approved by Portaria CPES nº 52 of 1 November 2024 and in force since its publication in the Diário Oficial da União on 21 November 2024.^{4, 5, 6}

• Compulsory. Pilotage zone ZP-14 covers Vitória, Tubarão, Praia Mole, Barra do Riacho, Estaleiro Jurong and Ubu, and pilotage is compulsory between the pilot waiting point and the berth, both ways.
• By law (Lei 9.537/1997, art. 13 § 6, as amended by Lei 14.813/2024) pilotage is compulsory in every pilotage zone for ships over 500 GT, except cases the Maritime Authority sets in regulation and Brazilian-flag craft classed for inland navigation only.
• NORMAM-311/DPC (item 4.4.3) exempts, among other listed cases, Brazilian-flag ships up to 2,000 GT and foreign-flag ships up to 500 GT.
• A Brazilian master of a Brazilian-flag ship up to 100 m long, with a crew at least two-thirds Brazilian, may obtain a Certificado de Isenção de Praticagem.
• Pilots: Praticagem Espírito Santo (Sindicato dos Práticos do Estado do Espírito Santo); pilot station on VHF 16, 14 or 74.
• Two pilots are required: on entry and departure of ships of 226.00 m LOA or more or with a draft over 11.50 m; on night entry of ships between 206.00 m and 220.99 m LOA; on entry of ships whose bridge, wings included, is narrower than their beam; for disabled ships or ships unable to manoeuvre on their own; and at berth 906 for ships with a beam over 25.00 m (entry, and departure at night). As of September 2026 (NORMAM-311/DPC) and May 2026 (NORMAP 1, Amendment 19).^{7, 4, 8, 9, 10, 11}

• Maximum draft (calado máximo) under NORMAP 1, Amendment 19 (Vports, May 2026); the Capitania's NPCP-ES-2024 treats the port's published limit as the maximum recommended draft (calado máximo recomendado), set under its coordination from DHN-approved surveys.
• Access channel, entry and departure: general cargo, bulk and container ships 11.20 m plus tide, limited to 12.50 m.
• Tankers: 10.60 m plus tide; a tanker manoeuvre with a draft over 10.67 m needs a navigation risk study.
• Ro-Ro and passenger ships: 10.67 m.
• Ships with a draft over 10.67 m enter only within 1 hour either side of high water or of low water, and turn and sail 1 hour before high water.
• Night entry is lower: 10.20 m plus tide, limited to 11.30 m for cargo, bulk and container ships and tankers up to 205.99 m LOA, and limited to 10.67 m for Ro-Ro and passenger ships and for container ships between 206.00 m and 220.99 m.
• Alongside: 12.50 m at berths 201, 202, 203, 204 and 207; 12.00 m at 101; 9.40 m at 102; 8.80 m at 103; 10.80 m at 206 and 905.
• Ships that turn on arrival are limited to 9.50 m; deeper ships turn after unberthing.
• The norm does not state the tidal datum and sets no under-keel clearance rule. As of 21 October 2026, the latest NORMAP 1 version found is Amendment 19, of May 2026.^{9, 12, 4}

• Port limits for all ship types: LOA 244.99 m, beam 32.49 m.
• Maximum DWT: 83,000 for general cargo ships and bulk carriers, but only at berth 202 above 70,000 DWT (70,001 to 83,000 DWT, LOA 229.00 m, moulded beam 32.26 m, draft fixed at 12.50 m).
• Container ships and oil and chemical tankers: 55,000. Ro-Ro: 30,000. Passenger ships: 10,000.
• By berth: 101, 102, 201, 202, 203, 204, 206, 207 and 905 take 70,000 t DWT, LOA 244.99 m, beam 32.49 m. Berth 103 takes 70,000 t and LOA 160.99 m. Berth 104 takes 20,000 t, 120.99 m and beam 20.99 m. Berths 902 and 906 take 20,000 t, 145.99 m and beam 30.00 m. Berth 903 takes 40,000 t, 145.99 m and beam 32.40 m. Berth 909 takes 5,500 t and 95.00 m. Berth 904 takes 6,000 t, 75.00 m and beam 24.00 m, for barges and sheerlegs only.
• Pipe-laying support vessels may reach an extreme beam of 37.99 m if the moulded beam stays within 32.49 m (30.00 m at berths 902 and 906). As of May 2026.⁹

• Maximum air draft 51.80 m, calculated for a tide of 1.81 m, for every ship type using the access channel (NORMAP 1).
• The Capitania's NPCP-ES-2024 gives the same 51.80 m limit for ships calling at the Port of Vitória, first set in its rules by Portaria CPES nº 36 of 2022.
• The channel passes under the Terceira Ponte (3rd bridge) between its external and internal sections, and ships with a draft over 10.67 m must pass the bridge at no more than 5 knots.
• Neither document says which structure sets the 51.80 m limit, and the bridge's own charted vertical clearance was not verified. As of May 2026.^{9, 4, 13}

Two high and two low waters a day (semidiurnal pattern in the DHN predictions). DHN tide station Porto de Vitória: 20°19.3'S 040°20.2'W, chart 1401, mean level 0.81 m. In the DHN tide table for 2025, predicted heights lie between -0.15 m and 1.69 m. Use the current DHN tide table (Tábua das Marés) for times and heights; Vitória VTS gives live tide data on VHF 73 on request.^{14, 10}

• 16 berths in Vitória Bay are covered by the port's traffic norm (NORMAP 1): six in Vitória (101, 102, 103, 104, 906 and 909) and ten in Vila Velha (201, 202, 203, 204, 206, 207, 902, 903, 904 and 905).
• Vitória side: the Cais Comercial (berths 101, 102, 103 and 104, 792 m) handles general cargo, solid bulk and offshore supply boats; berth 104 serves port-support craft only.
• Also on the Vitória side: berth 906 (Flexibrás, Ilha do Príncipe) and berth 909 (Zemax, Bento Ferreira).
• Vila Velha side: the Cais de Capuaba (1,155 m) holds Terminal de Vila Velha (TVV, leased to Log-In, berths 203 and 204), which handles containers, Ro-Ro, marble, granite and general cargo; Vports' own berths 201, 202 and 207 handle solid bulk, including agricultural products, bulk caustic soda and general cargo.
• Cais de Paul: berth 905 (Vports) handles pig iron and liquid bulk; berth 206 is next to it.
• Berth 902 (São Torquato) was not operational in April 2026; 903 is CPVV (Aribiri) and 904 is Prysmian, for barges and sheerlegs only.
• Main cargoes in 2026: lithium, pig iron, fertilisers and coal in bulk; containers (granite, coffee); granite blocks and vehicles; fuels and caustic soda.
• Tubarão and Praia Mole, and the Portocel terminal at Barra do Riacho (Aracruz), are separate facilities outside this guide; Tubarão and Praia Mole share Vitória VTS and pilotage zone ZP-14 with the port.^{9, 3, 15, 4, 10}

• The first requirement for a ship calling at the port is the visit of the port authorities: port health, customs and immigration officers.
• Free pratique (livre prática) is granted by ANVISA through its local health authority and may be requested by radio or by a message from the agent.
• Customs: Alfândega da Receita Federal do Brasil do Porto de Vitória (ALF/VIT).
• Immigration and crew changes: Polícia Federal.
• Agriculture: VIGIAGRO, Setor de Vigilância Agropecuária Internacional de Vitória (SetV, VIX), Estrada de Capuaba 1500, Vila Velha.
• NORMAP 1 designates an outer anchorage for naval, Federal Police and ANVISA inspections.
• For crew, passengers, technicians or stores moved at anchor, the agent e-mails the Federal Police and Customs authorisations to Vitória VTS 2 hours before.
• Once cleared for departure, a ship has 72 hours to sail.^{4, 1, 16, 17, 9, 10}

• Vitória Airport, Eurico de Aguiar Salles (IATA VIX, ICAO SBVT), operated by Zurich Airport Brasil.
• DECEA lists it as an international public aerodrome, but international flights must arrange customs, immigration, health and agriculture at least 48 hours ahead (Monday to Friday, 1100-2000 UTC). Scheduled international passenger flights were not confirmed; the operator describes the airport as linking Espírito Santo with the rest of Brazil.
• Approximate road distance: 14.2 km and about 23 minutes to the Cais Comercial, and 16.9 km and about 27 minutes to Capuaba (OSRM route, free-flowing traffic).^{18, 19, 20, 21}

• Access channel, about 8,000 m long, external and internal sections: design depth 13.50 m, dredged 14.00 m. Mean width 120.00 m, with widenings of up to +105.00 m at bends and narrower stretches between Ilha das Pombas and Ilha do Urubu and between Recife São João and Morro do Penedo.
• Manoeuvring and turning area, between Ilha das Cobras and the Florentino Ávidos bridge: design 12.70 m on rock, dredged 13.00 m.
• Capuaba berths (201, 202, 203, 204, 207): approach channels design 12.70 m on rock, dredged 13.00 m; berth basins dredged 14.00 m. Datum not stated. As of May 2026.⁹

• Outer anchorages only.
• Area 01 Vitória, for ships with a normal wait: triangle 20°22'00"S 040°14'36"W, 20°23'42"S 040°14'36"W, 20°22'48"S 040°16'42"W.
• Offshore support vessels: box with corners 20°20'12"S 040°15'06"W, 20°20'12"S 040°16'00"W, 20°20'48"S 040°16'00"W and 20°20'48"S 040°15'06"W.
• Inspection anchorage (naval, Federal Police and ANVISA): 20°17'54"S 040°13'12"W, 20°18'12"S 040°13'42"W, 20°18'48"S 040°13'42"W, 20°19'18"S 040°13'12"W.
• There is no inner anchorage; the manoeuvring area may serve as one only in an emergency, with the Maritime Authority's consent.
• Anchoring is prohibited within 0.5 nm of the pilot waiting point and within 1 nautical mile of the submarine cables shown on chart 1410 near the ports of Vitória and Tubarão.
• Report anchoring and heaving up to Vitória VTS on VHF 73. As of May 2026.^{9, 4, 10}

• Night entry is limited to ships up to 205.99 m LOA.
• Container ships between 206.00 m and 220.99 m may enter at night only after 23:00, once Vports confirms the Clube Álvares Cabral lights are off.
• Night departure is allowed up to 220.99 m LOA at lower drafts.
• Unpowered craft at night: up to 2,000 GT.
• Berths 902 and 906: ships over 135.00 m LOA or 25.00 m beam enter and turn by day only, and liquid-bulk ships at 902 move by day only.
• Speed limits: 10 knots in the access channel, 5 knots inside the port, and 5 knots under the Terceira Ponte for drafts over 10.67 m.
• Berths 202 and 203 are kept clear for turning deeper-draft ships until 10 familiarisation manoeuvres are done, at least 5 of them by ships over 230 m.
• No vessel age limit was found.
• Whale season (1 June to 30 November): Vitória VTS recommends avoiding night transits and keeping below 8 knots inside the VTS area. As of 21 October 2026: NORMAP 1 of May 2026 and Vitória VTS rules of July 2026.^{9, 10}

• Tugs are compulsory for every ship manoeuvre in the port, under the Navy rules and the Capitania's NPCP-ES.
• They are optional for offshore support vessels up to 100.99 m LOA with working azimuth or stern thrusters strong enough to turn, approach, berth and unberth unaided.
• NPCP-ES-2024 (item 4.2.2) sets, for ships with a draft over 10.67 m: on entry, the third tug must be an azimuth tug of at least 70 t bollard pull, made fast astern; on departure, an azimuth tug of at least 60 t bollard pull, made fast astern.
• Vports removed its own rule of three 70 t azimuth tugs for drafts over 10.67 m from NORMAP 1 in Amendment 19 (May 2026), citing a TPN/USP study of January 2026; no Capitania act changing the NPCP-ES rule was found.
• Tugs meet inbound ships near the Baixio Grande and Cavalo buoys, and every tanker manoeuvre has a tug made fast astern.
• Tug VHF: 06, 08 or 17.
• Confirm the tug plan with the agent and the pilots. As of November 2024 (NPCP-ES) and May 2026 (NORMAP 1).^{4, 9, 10}

• Port facility BRVIX-0001, Vports (ex-CODESA): CONPORTOS Statement of Compliance (Declaração de Cumprimento) nº 15/2022, issued 14 September 2022, valid until 14 September 2027.
• Terminal de Vila Velha (TVV, BRVIX-0003): nº 20/2022, valid until 13 December 2027.
• Companhia Portuária de Vila Velha (CPVV, BRVIX-0010): nº 19/2022, valid until 13 December 2027. As listed by Vports in its Regulamento de Exploração (version 2.0, 2025).¹

• Pilot waiting point for the Port of Vitória (with Capuaba, TVV, Paul, São Torquato, Aribiri, Ilha do Príncipe and Bento Ferreira): 20°21'36"S 040°14'06"W.
• The pilot boards and lands there, and NORMAP 1 bars anchoring or lingering within 0.5 nm of the point.
• The Vitória pilot station (VHF 16, 14 or 74) sets the pilot-on-board time.
• Ships report to Vitória VTS on VHF 73 one hour before entering the VTS area, and on pilot boarding. No pilot request notice period was found in the documents read. As of September 2026 (NORMAM-311/DPC) and July 2026 (VTS).^{7, 9, 10}

• The power to declare impracticability (impraticabilidade) in pilotage zone ZP-14, in whole or in part, rests with the Capitão dos Portos. Impracticability exists when weather and sea conditions may pose an unacceptable risk to the safety of navigation, making pilotage, manoeuvres, ship traffic, or pilot boarding or landing inadvisable (NPCP-ES item 4.3.7, as amended by Portaria nº 78/CPES of 6 August 2025).
• It applies equally to ships required to use pilotage and to ships exempt from it or sailing without a pilot, unless the declaration expressly says otherwise.
• The decision takes into account the weather and sea information published by the Diretoria de Hidrografia e Navegação (DHN), the readings of the sensors at the port accesses and, mainly, the technical advice of the pilots aboard the ships to be manoeuvred.
• Bands for the Port of Vitória. Green (practicable): wind up to Beaufort force 5, sea up to Douglas state 3 and visibility of 1 nm or more.
• Yellow: wind above force 5 and up to force 8, sea above state 3 and up to state 5, or visibility above 0.5 nm and below 1.0 nm; taking into account the Capitania's on-site assessment and the advice of the pilots on duty that day, the Capitão dos Portos may or may not declare total or partial impracticability, weighing not only the weather and sea parameters in the tables but also factors such as cross currents, navigation accidents, ship type, technical conditions, loading conditions, parameters set in manoeuvre simulation reports and aids to navigation.
• Red: wind above force 8, sea above state 5 or visibility of 0.5 nm or less; the Capitão dos Portos declares total impracticability.
• For the Port of Vitória, the reference sensors are the responsibility of Vports Autoridade Portuária.
• If weather and sea conditions prevent the pilot from boarding safely, the master may, at the master's sole responsibility and with the Capitão dos Portos' prior authorisation, take the ship into the pilotage zone as far as a sheltered place where the pilot can board, following the guidance of the pilot aboard the pilot boat.
• If they prevent the pilot from landing safely, the master may, again at the master's sole responsibility and with the Capitão dos Portos' prior authorisation, land the pilot in a sheltered place and continue until clear of the compulsory pilotage zone, following the signals and guidance of the pilot aboard the pilot boat.
• In both cases the authorisation should preferably be requested through the pilot station (Atalaia) from the CCCAM.
• NORMAP 1 sets no numeric limits of its own: access and turning must take place in favourable visibility, current, tide and wind.
• Vitória VTS broadcasts a forecast on VHF 73 every 6 hours, starting at 00:00 local time, and gives live wind, current, wave, tide and visibility data on request. As of August 2025 (NPCP-ES) and July 2026 (VTS).^{22, 4, 9, 10}

• Fuel oil (MF-380) is delivered routinely by tank barge alongside, under Vports' bunkering procedure AMB-PRO-014, with a containment boom around the ship or a standby boat.
• Bunker barges are exempt from the joint port, customs and Maritime Authority authorisation that other craft berthing alongside a ship at the quay need (Norma de Atracação, Art. 30), but NORMAP 1 bars any craft from staying alongside a berthed ship without port administration authorisation, except a harbour tug during a berthing or unberthing manoeuvre, and bars any supply or transfer through craft alongside while other ships pass to adjacent berths.
• Small craft take diesel by road tanker. Report the start and end of bunkering to Vitória VTS.
• Ship waste goes to collectors accredited by Vports (procedures AMB-PRO-003 and AMB-PRO-004); oily waste (sludge) is pumped to road tankers at the Cais Comercial, Capuaba and Paul.
• Discharging ballast water, or any material from open or closed loop exhaust gas scrubbers, is prohibited in the port.
• Hold cleaning needs at least 24 hours' notice to Vports. Water and electricity are requested from Vports operations for the Cais de Vitória, Capuaba and Paul.^{3, 23, 9, 1, 10}

Vports publishes the line-up (PCN) of expected ships, ships at anchor and ships berthed.^{12, 24, 23}

Vports line-up: expected ships

8.4 million tonnes in 2024 for the Vitória port complex, up 15% on 2023. This is the latest full year Vports has published. In 2026: 3.293 million tonnes in the first five months, and 913,000 tonnes in August 2026, a record for the month.^{25, 26, 15}