Namibia clears path for world-first seabed phosphate mine

Namibia has granted environmental clearance for an offshore phosphate mining project that could become the world's first commercial seabed-dredging operation for phosphate, though the company says it is not ready to start mining immediately.

The certificate issued this month advances Namibian Marine Phosphate's plan to dredge the ocean floor about 120 kilometres off Walvis Bay for phosphate used in fertilisers.

The company said it still needs to complete permitting, including for land-based infrastructure, and that no immediate commercial operations are planned.

If it goes ahead, the Sandpiper Project would dredge about 1.7 square kilometres a year to produce three million tonnes of phosphate concentrate annually, according to the company. It said the 20-year licence period would cover the equivalent of 0.002 percent of Namibia's seabed.

Environmental groups and fishing interests have opposed the project. The Confederation of Namibian Fishing Associations has reportedly threatened to challenge the certificate's validity.

Marine scientist Bronwen Currie told AFP that sediment plumes from seabed excavation could release heavy metals and toxic substances into the marine food chain and threaten commercial fish stocks. Environmental specialist Peter Cunningham told AFP that sediment plumes could affect shoreline habitats, crayfish spawning and breeding species.

Ocean Conservation Namibia said the project would put ocean habitats, water quality and local fisheries at risk and argued that marine phosphate mining at this scale has not been conducted anywhere in the world.

Namibian Marine Phosphate received a licence in 2011, but the project stalled in 2013 amid concern about possible effects on marine ecosystems and Namibia's commercial fishing industry.