In Brazil, the few investments in port infrastructure in the past two decades, allied to the strong expansion of foreign trade and the influences of international shipping, impose significant pressure on Port Authorities to provide approach channels for larger ships or in the sense that larger ships are allowed to use current channels. The depth of the channel in several port projects is the main factor that limits the access of new and larger classes of ships, raising accessibility to

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... to a critical factor in the development of the port, the port efficiency and the business strategies. The study aims to evaluate current issues and trends in navigation and cargo handling practices, dimensions of design vessel, economic aspects of the navigation with increasing containerization and major global routes, interfaces in their domestic market, everything in order to provide the anticipated demands of public infrastructure in Brazilian ports. Resumo: No Brasil, os escassos investimentos em infraestrutura portuária nasúltimasnas´nasúltimas duas décadas, aliadosàaliadosà forte expansão do comércio exterior e ' as * Esp., Diretor da Hidrotop Ltda (Santos, Brasil)