The country in the interior of the South American continent - one of two states without direct access to the sea - relies heavily on its navy to secure its borders, as around 60% of its national border lies in the centre of the Paraguay, Parana, Apa and Pilcomayo rivers. Paraguay is also South America's largest marijuana producer, producing 50,000 tonnes a year, with around 95% of the crop being smuggled out of the country - mainly to Brazil. The USA is supporting the Armada Paraguaya in the Sisyphean task of border control by donating twelve RHIB-like intervention boats to enable a rapid response in regions with significant drug transfer. The first boat has arrived and the next boats are to follow at monthly intervals. The package also includes a container with tools and spare parts. None of this is really worth mentioning, but for a 3,000-man navy whose flagship "Paraguay" was built in Italy almost a hundred years ago as a gunboat (70 metres, 850 tonnes), it is newsworthy.