WASHINGTON, D.C., September 22nd, 2026 — The World Bank Group will support the State of São Paulo, Brazil, in modernizing its waterway transport network while creating new jobs in shipbuilding and infrastructure construction. The number of users benefiting from improved access to sustainable transport services is expected to reach 84,800.
The project will bring 45 new vessels into service, 41 of them fully electric, and renovate or newly build more than 20 passenger terminals with better access for women, people with reduced mobility, and low-income communities. The centerpiece terminal investment will be a new facility in São Sebastião, designed to handle greater volumes of passengers and vehicles at the crossing while relieving pressure on the city’s road network.
The initiative is structured as a 20-year public-private partnership with a total investment of US$460 million. Of that amount, US$238 million will be mobilized by the private concessionaire and US$222 million by the Government of the State of São Paulo. The Government’s share includes a US$175 million loan from the World Bank Group.
Over its lifetime, the project is set to avoid approximately 399,000 tons of CO₂ emissions, revitalize waterfront areas, and stimulate tourism and local commerce.
São Paulo’s water crossings serve approximately 21 million passengers a year, yet much of the fleet is decades old and diesel-powered, and many terminals lack basic facilities. This project will address that by bringing in a private operator under a single long-term concession, replacing fragmented short-term contracts with one accountable partnership designed for lasting results. Women’s participation in operational roles is targeted to increase from 15 to 20 percent.
- São Paulo’s water crossings are a lifeline for millions of people, and this project will make them safer, cleaner, and more reliable for generations to come. By attracting private investment and replacing an aging diesel fleet with modern electric vessels, we are showing that business and government can work together to deliver the infrastructure that communities need
