A marine court in Shenzhen detained a Greek-registered ship after it was found to be carrying the seed of a dangerous weed that could harm the ecological balance and poison animals.
A company in Shantou City applied to the court Friday, saying it had found a substantial quantity of the seed, which has similar appearance to Chinese sorghum grain, in 60,200 tons of beans it purchased from an Argentine company.
The cargo was transported by the Greek-registered Marina Wave from Argentine to Shenzhen's Chiwan port area.
The court launched an investigation and found it necessary to detain the ship.
The plant, sorghum halepense, also known as Johnson grass, is one of the world's top 10 dangerous weeds and is banned by many countries.
Johnson grass, native to the Mediterranean region, has become a problem in some areas, taking over from native grasses and pastures and persisting despite concerted attempts at eradication.
The grass can produce hydrocyanic acid in sufficient abundance particularly in secondary growth to cause poisoning in grazing animals.
All the ship's cargo will undergo hygiene treatment to eliminate potential harm to the environment, the paper said.
(Shenzhen Daily July 18, 2003)
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