Cabotage in Brazil, despite offering cost reductions for the transportation of large cargo quantities, has been underutilized. The country boasts an extensive coastline and a demographic distribution favorable to the use of coastal shipping as a means of cargo transportation. The research aimed to identify the main barriers related to costs affecting coastal shipping in Brazil. The methodology relied on bibliographic and documentary research, encompassing books, journals, official documents, reports, as well as government websites. Five barriers were identified: Barriers related to fleet depreciation and renewal costs; Operational cost barriers; Capacity-related costs of vessels; Initial kilometer cost barriers; and Intermodality cost barriers. The conducted study could contribute to enhancing decision-making regarding cargo transportation in the country, while also encouraging investment decisions and promoting coastal shipping.
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