Brasília, April 27, 2004 (Agência Brasil) - The Brazilian government wants to take the helm of a South American regional cooperation endeavor to control ship ballast water, responsible for transporting aquatic species from one continent to another, causing problems for the ecology, the economy, and health.

Today, Brazil will present Uruguayan, Argentinean, Paraguayan, Chilean, and Colombian government representatives who are participating in a workshop in Brasília, with a Brazilian management model for ballast water and a preliminary survey of the exotic species discovered in the country.

According to Brazilian biologist Flávio Fernandes, of the Admiral Paulo Moreira Institute of Ocean Studies, among a thousand species that were studied as part of the Brazilian marine ecosystem, 12 were identified as exotic, brought by ships coming from other countries. "As a means of prevention, the Anvisa (National Sanitary Surveillance Agency) currently requires that ships that arrive in Brazil present a document informing the volume of ballast water the ship is carrying and the amount that will be discharged into the sea," Fernandes affirms.

The objective of the workshop, which began yesterday (26) and ends tomorrow (28), is to involve the countries of South America in the GloBallast program (Global Ballast Water Management Program), developed by the International Maritime Organization (IMO).

To diminish the risks posed by species that are transported in ballast water, over 200 countries approved the IMO Convention in February. The Convention has yet to be implemented, because it needs to be ratified by the countries, and some standard rules need to be defined, such as the way to treat ballast water.

Translator: David Silberstein