Rio, July 1, 2004 (Agência Brasil) - Ports and international terminals in Brazil that don't possess security certificates will be prohibited from receiving vessels engaged in international shipping and should be restricted to coastal transportation. The certificates, according to the Ministry of Justice, represent the final stage in a process of adapting Brazilian ports and terminals to the new security norms adopted by the International Maritime Organization (IMO) to prevent terrorist attacks.

Tomorrow (2) marks the end of the federal government's inspection of the installation of this security system, known as the ISPS Code. Of the 105 ports and terminals inspected, 56 were certified. 37 terminals in the port of Santos and eight public ports presented minor flaws that should be corrected by the time the inspection is concluded.

According to the executive secretary of the National Port Commission (Conportos), Ézio Ricardo Borghetti, 197 units submitted risk assessments, the first pre-requisite for certification. 162 presented complete plans and asked to be inspected.

Brazil possesses 218 port facilities, of which 180 are private terminals and 38, public ports, but not all of them are involved in international trade. Since 1995 the country has adopted domestic norms, implanted by the Conportos, to protect ports against robbery, piracy, drug and arms trafficking, illegal immigration, and contraband.

The IMO certificate treats ports as international territory, with rules to protect against all types of terrorist acts. In May, the federal government allotted US$ 32.44 million (R$ 100 million) to adapt the ports to the new system. According to the director of the Department of Water Transportation Programs of the Ministry of Transportation, Paulo de Tarso Carneiro, the government is discussing the creation of a special tax on port activities to recover the resources it invested.

Reporter: Norma Nery
Translator: David Silberstein