Sea Economy on the rise generates jobs and income in Santa Catarina

The Sea Economy has been showing, in practice, its strength as a generator of jobs and income. Santa Catarina is experiencing a cycle of expansion that ranges from boatbuilding factories to marinas and infrastructure projects, driving the sector's entire production chain: industry, trade, services, tourism and professional training. Many of the companies leading this movement are ACATMAR members.

Factories expanding and hiring

Santa Catarina's boatbuilding hub is living one of its best moments. Traditional manufacturers, such as Fibrafort, have expanded their plants and increased production, generating new jobs in areas like carpentry, assembly, mechanics, electrics, finishing and painting. The movement repeats across the entire Itajaí hub, a national reference in boatbuilding, where shipyards keep investing, hiring and exporting to several countries.

This industrial progress strengthens a long chain of suppliers and service providers, from the parts manufacturer to the professional who does the maintenance, showing how the nautical production sector feeds the local and regional economy.

Marinas and new service complexes

Growth also appears in infrastructure. Marina Itajaí, one of the largest nautical complexes in southern Brazil and an ACATMAR member, is building a new development designed to bring together services, gastronomy, leisure and nautical support in a single space, keeping pace with rising demand for more complete facilities.

In Florianópolis, the Beira-Mar Norte Urban Park and Marina project entered a new phase, with environmental licensing and works underway. The development foresees a public park for leisure and gathering integrated with a marina offering public slips, reconnecting the city to the sea and expanding public access to the waterfront.

ACATMAR's reading

For Leandro "Mané" Ferrari, president of ACATMAR and a specialist in the Sea Economy, the scenario confirms a clear trend. "The nautical sector is growing consistently and still has enormous untapped potential. Every new factory, marina or support structure means more jobs, more income and more opportunity for those who live from the sea. There is a shortage of infrastructure, of nautical berths and of qualified people, and that is exactly where Brazil's great development opportunity lies," he says.

Qualified people to sustain the growth

All this progress depends on a prepared workforce. That is why ACATMAR and the Federal Institute of Santa Catarina (IFSC) are developing the Marina-School project, aimed at training professionals for the maintenance, operation and services of boats, as well as the hospitality and gastronomy linked to nautical tourism. The goal is to create an innovative marina-school model in Brazil, uniting training, job creation and the development of the Sea Economy.

An economy that moves the present and the future

The strength of the Sea Economy confirms what ACATMAR has defended for years: it is a development powerhouse for Santa Catarina and for Brazil. It is not only about boats, but about a production chain that generates jobs, trains professionals, attracts investment and sustains entire communities. Caring for this sector, qualifying people and defending adequate public policies is investing in the country's future.