GROUND EFFECT VEHICLE AS AN ALTERNATIVE FOR THE AMAZON TRANSPORT

With a big development potential, able to promote a high financial return for the rest of the
country, through sustainable management, food production, tourism and environment, today
the Amazon has a couple of challenges to reach this development. A parcel of these
challenges to be solved, it’s the low region’s logistics infrastructure. In spite of this issue, just
a few were explored until today about the viable solutions to be implemented in the rivers,
which interconnect the main northern cities in the country. The alternative presents capable
features to solve the logistic problem, it is about the Ground Effect Vehicle (WIG- Wing in
Ground), this transport works through an phenomenon which the vortices around the vehicle
are interrupted due the ground proximity, making the drag forces been reduced and with this
technology the vehicle can travel in waters without the right contact with the fluid, affording
more speed than a boat and more efficient energy than airplanes, besides doesn’t need an
airport infrastructure for the operation, that makes a service more cheap.
This study intends through a bibliographic research, to get information about the WIG’s
history, available rules, international market in different applications and the project's
characters to improve the application of this kind of transportation in the region, after the
research will be described the main barriers to the implementation cargo and passengers
movement alternative. The study's result will be the definition of the main project premises
that must be taken for a ground effect vehicle that will be adapted in Amazon regional
operational conditions, taking into factors such as vehicle size, security, maneuverability,
speed, interaction with other boats, flight height and other relevant points.
Finally, the conclusions of the study explain the reached returns in spite of the technological
risk in this transport.