STAFF WRITER
Namibia Ports Authority (Namport) has halted a pre-qualification tender for a new oil and gas supply base at Lüderitz to accommodate concerns raised by traditional leaders.
The Namibia Business Review understands that some traditional leaders, negotiating with Namport over ancestral graves, were reportedly unhappy that the tender was advertised – on 13 August – before consensus was reached. As a result, Namport canceled the tender just days after it went live.
A close source said: “We have engaged thoroughly and the feeling is that we want to be at a level where everything is a consensus before we announce anything. This is the reason why such a decision to cancel was taken. We are eventually going ahead but we must only do that when the traditional leaders are satisfied and we must also avoid a scenario where we will be viewed as taking other parties for granted.”
The project, under a design, build, own, operate, and transfer (DBOOT) model, is aimed at supporting drilling in the Orange Basin. It involves extending the berth by 500 metres, 300 metres for the oil and gas industry and 200 metres for other sectors and reclaiming 14 hectares of land to serve as short-term storage for oil field cargo.
Another source said: “We have been locked in consultations with the traditional leaders who are within the affected areas for quite some time. We have made tremendous progress to satisfy the issues that are being raised but we do not want to be ahead of ourselves and make major announcements before everything is sorted.”
Namport management and local leaders have met several times to address concerns, primarily regarding ancestral graves near Shark Island.
Cliff Shikwambi, Namport’s Marketing and Stakeholder Engagement Manager, told journalists this week: “Namport decision to cancel the bid was informed by several factors, one critical one being that there are serious indications of public and stakeholder confusion and misalignment regarding this project and the current Environmental Impact Assessment study… Following this important consideration, Namport deemed it most appropriate to first clear up these misconceptions with the public and key stakeholders and not unduly risk compromising an otherwise very sensitive and important environmental impact assessment study.”
He added: “We will keep you, our valued Media Partners informed on any developments, while appreciating your interest in this regard.”
COMMENTS