Seabed Mining: Lessons from the Namibian Experience

The document discusses the environmental and governance challenges of seabed mining, specifically analyzing how opposition from the fishing industry and environmental groups led to a moratorium on phosphate mining in Namibia. It outlines the international legal framework provided by UNCLOS and the International Seabed Authority, while recommending that African states strengthen their national ocean governance and environmental impact assessment capacities.

• Seabed mining targets four primary resources: polymetallic nodules, seafloor massive sulphides (SMS), cobalt-rich crusts, and phosphates, each occurring at different depths and geological settings.
• Common environmental impacts of seabed mining include the removal of benthic organisms and sediments, seabed perturbation, and the introduction of waste or energy in forms such as heat, light, and acoustic waves. Recovery of deep-sea areas is particularly slow, taking approximately 40 years.
• The UN Law of the Sea of 1982 (UNCLOS) and the International Seabed Authority (ISA) provide the global governance framework. UNCLOS allows states to exploit minerals on their continental shelves (generally up to 200 nautical miles), while the ISA regulates 'the Area' beyond national jurisdiction, treating its resources as the 'common heritage of mankind'.
• In Namibia, the proposed Sandpiper phosphate mining project by Namibian Marine Phosphates (NMP) faced intense opposition from environmental networks like Swakopmund Matters and the fishing industry, which is the country's third largest GDP contributor.
• Opponents of the Sandpiper project argued that the Environmental Impact Assessments (EIAs) relied too heavily on secondary data and failed to address cumulative impacts or the risks of releasing toxic hydrogen sulphide and heavy metals into the food chain.
• The opposition to phosphate mining in Namibia resulted in a cabinet decision in September 2013 to implement an 18-month moratorium, with a possible extension to three years, pending independent scoping studies and a comprehensive EIA.

APA

Benkenstein, A. (2014). Seabed Mining: Lessons from the Namibian Experience. South African Institute of International Affairs. https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/Policy-Briefing-87.pdf

Chicago

Benkenstein, Alex. Seabed Mining: Lessons from the Namibian Experience. South African Institute of International Affairs, 2014. https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/Policy-Briefing-87.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Benkenstein |first1=Alex |title=Seabed Mining: Lessons from the Namibian Experience |publisher=South African Institute of International Affairs |date=April 2014 |url=https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/Policy-Briefing-87.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{benkenstein2014seabed, author = {Benkenstein, Alex}, title = {{Seabed Mining: Lessons from the Namibian Experience}}, institution = {South African Institute of International Affairs}, year = {2014}, month = apr, url = {https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/Policy-Briefing-87.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }