Seabed mining. (Photo Credit: Deep Sea Mining Campaign-A Project of the Ocean Foundation)

Govt may change its stance on seabed mining

The Namibian government announced a comprehensive environmental assessment study will be carried out before launching seabed mining projects due to concerns about possible harm to marine life.

The announcement was made by the head of the Ministry of Fisheries and Marine Resources, Bernard Esau, in the National Assembly this week during the budget motivation for the fisheries ministry for the period 2014/2015, New Era reported.

"The process will start with a scoping study to be carried out by SINTEF Fisheries and Aquaculture, an impartial Norwegian company with global expertise in similar areas and will be followed by a strategic environmental assessment," stated Esau.

The minister’s decision represents a turnabout, since a year before he had stressed he wouldn’t support the planned phosphate mining venture whose benefits are short-term, but whose impact on fisheries could be long lasting.

Besides, last year former president, Dr Sam Nujoma, publicly declared his position against phosphate mining as it could have a detrimental effect on marine life and it would damage the country's fisheries sector, particularly hake.

Due to a conflict of interest between the sustainability of the marine ecosystem, including valuable fisheries in Namibian waters and international mining companies seeking to mine the seabed for phosphate deposits, the Namibian government asked Norwegian researchers for practical advice.

Thus, the Norwegian Environmental Council was requested to provide assistance through SINTEF and the Institute of Marine Research (IMR) for empirical research data on seabed phosphate mining.

Nevertheless, scientists are concerned about the release of hazardous substances, including radioactive materials, which may directly or indirectly harm and kill marine life, thereby suffocate or retard many commercial fish stocks to be marketable due to poor quality.

The environmental assessment, which will be conducted under the ministry's survey and stock assessment programme, requiring over NAD 91 million USD 8.5 million), will enable the ministry to develop an environmental management plan for sustainable co-existence of marine phosphate mining and fisheries, which is a first of its kind and will have global implications.

The minister remarked that the main project will include the entire marine food chain, focusing on food safety, as mining on the shelf off the coast of Namibia could lead to an increased content of unwanted and harmful substances in fish.

There are currently two firms with phosphate mining permits - Namibian Marine Phosphate and LL Namibia Phosphates.
 

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- Fishermen welcome marine phosphate mining temporary ban 

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