BRASILIA, (Reuters) – Brazil is trying to forge an alliance with African and South American countries to defend seabed mining rights and strategic shipping lanes in the South Atlantic, its defence minister said yesterday.
Brazil is concerned it could fall behind as leading developed countries race to divvy up the rights to mineral and maritime resources in international waters.
Potentially huge deposits of manganese, copper, cobalt and other minerals are at stake, with the seabed in international waters covering more than 50 percent of the world’s surface.
“Brazil can’t fall behind in this (race),” Defense Minister Nelson Jobim said in a briefing with foreign reporters in the capital Brasilia.
Latin America’s largest country is already developing massive oil reserves under thick layers of salt rock beneath the ocean floor, which could make it one of the world’s top 10 oil exporters. It is also overhauling its military and developing a nuclear-powered submarine to safeguard the newfound oil reserves.
Under the 1984 United Nations Law of the Sea and a 1994 implementation agreement, countries can request exclusive mining rights in blocks of 100 square kilometers (38.61 sq mi), following initial prospecting.
The International Seabed Authority, or ISA, created under the U.N. Law of the Sea Convention, has already granted eight exploration contracts with rights to 2 million square km (772,704 sq mi) in the Indian and Pacific Oceans, according to Brazil’s defense ministry.
German and Russian firms are prospecting in an area some 450 miles (833 km) off Brazil’s southern coast, Jobim said.
Brazilian geologists say there is considerable mining potential below the ocean floor halfway between Africa and South America, where the two continental plates meet.
“There is Brazilian interest in exploring the region, to invest there, because these are natural resource in Brazil’s sights,” Jobim said.
Brazil is a major mining country and Vale, which is based in Rio de Janeiro, is the world’s largest iron ore exporter, with operations in West Africa and throughout South America.
The ISA is finalizing new regulations for prospecting and exploration and Brazil wants South America and West Africa to adopt a common stance.
“I’m unifying South America and at least West Africa so we can have a minimally coherent position,” Jobim said. “Every country has a vote.”
Jobim has raised the issue in recent months at the South American Defence Council, which Brazil helped create. He will take the message to several West African countries in a visit to the region next week.
In addition to securing mineral supplies for coming decades, Brazil wants to protect its commercial shipping lanes. One country can claim up to 25 blocks, potentially forcing a considerable detour of shipping lanes, Jobim said.
“Who is going to pay for that? Are exploration rights going to be free?,” Jobim asked, adding that he was also concerned about the likely presence of foreign naval ships protecting exploration rights.
Brazil intends to accelerate its own prospecting and seek alliances with South American or African nations, Jobim said. It does not entirely oppose joint-ventures with developed nations but thinks they should include African countries.
African and South American countries should request an extension of their maritime borders, Jobim said, from 200 nautical miles to 350 nautical miles.
Brazil recently received provisional approval for its request to extend rights to 350 nautical miles, well beyond its newfound oil reserves, Jobim said.
