Key points
- The review application brought by the fishing confederation and three other applicants was heard in the High Court on 7 July 2020.
- NMP says it is confident of an outcome in its favour and that judgment will be handed down in due course.
- The company also reports supplementary environmental information work.
Namibian Marine Phosphate (Pty) Ltd (“NMP” or “the Company”) is pleased to advise that the review application launched by the Confederation of Namibian Fisheries Associations (“CNFA”) and three other applicants was heard in the High Court of Namibia on 7th July 2020.
Court Hearing
With full confidence in the Namibian Legal System and the strength of the legal case put forward by NMP’s legal counsel, NMP shareholders, management, and legal team are confident of a successful outcome in NMP’s favour. Judgment will be handed down by the Court in due course.
Supplementary Environmental Information
In line with NMP’s commitment to developing an environmentally sound and sustainable marine phosphate project, NMP has continued to invest in ongoing environmental studies.
As directed by the Minister of Environment and Tourism in June 2018, a 6-month further public consultation and review process was completed on 21 Dec 2018, relating to NMP’s application for an Environmental Clearance Certificate (“ECC”). Most recently, the external consultants, appointed by the Environmental Commissioner (“EC”) for the review, submitted 5 key recommendations to the EC.
These 5 key recommendations called for the provision of certain supplementary environmental information necessary to support the EC’s consideration for award of the ECC to NMP. Over the past 9 months, NMP has completed and submitted the recommended supplementary environmental studies and relevant information to the EC for due consideration.
Results of Environmental Studies
The supplementary information further enhances the substantial scientifically-backed findings put forward in the Environmental Impact Assessment report (“EIA”) submitted in 2012 and the comprehensive EIA Verification Study completed in 2014. All of these EIA studies indicate strongly that the nature and scale of the proposed dredging operations will have NO significant impact on the commercial fishing industry or the marine environment.
Fishing and Phosphate Marine Mining Can Co-Exist
All scientific facts from onsite and regional studies conclude that:
- the Sandpiper Marine Phosphate Project will NOT kill the fishing industry as claimed by various individuals and organisations.
- marine phosphate mining operations CAN co-exist with the fishing industry just as the fishing industry already does with the existing marine diamond mining operations.
Development of the Project
An industry-based Socio-Economic Study (2018), circulated within Government, independently demonstrates that the potential economic benefits of establishing a new seabed mining project as a cornerstone for development of a fully integrated phosphate-and-fertilizer industry alongside the existing marine diamond mining and fishing industries, if developed back in 2012, could by 2016 have:
- contributed N$14.7Bn to the Gross Domestic Product
- contributed N$11.3Bn to Gross National Income
- contributed N$18.7Bn in Export Revenue and
- created Total Jobs of 51,593 (Direct, Indirect and Induced)
