What South American naval cooperation could change

How might South American naval power change if regional states stopped competing with one another?

They could begin treating South America as a collective maritime power with a more substantial presence beyond local rivalries.

Recurrent competition among South American states has limited their ability to treat the continent as a maritime region. Cooperation could redirect naval investment toward shared presence and influence on the wider world stage. That would require states to define common interests and stop using ships mainly for prestige against neighbours. The possibility turns regional force coordination into an alternative to traditional naval rivalry.