TIRI MASAWI
The Namibia Ports Authority (Namport) will launch a second round of consultations with communities, traditional leaders and other stakeholders in October over its planned N$3 billion oil and gas supply base at Lüderitz.
The port authority halted the pre-qualification tender in August after environmental concerns and objections from traditional leaders about Shark Island’s sensitivity and ancestral graves.
Namport chief executive officer Andrew Kanime confirmed to Namibia Business Review on Thursday that discussions will focus on the project’s Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA).
“We have received the results of the scientific evaluation of the EIA. We have looked at them and these are the issues we are going to discuss with stakeholders in early October. Everyone is welcome to attend and air their view. That is all I can say on this issue at the moment,” he said.
Traditional leaders, negotiating with Namport over ancestral sites, were reportedly angered that the tender was advertised on 13 August before consensus was reached. Namport cancelled it days later.
A source close to the talks said:
“We want everything on a consensus level before we announce anything. That is why the tender was withdrawn. We will proceed only when traditional leaders are satisfied so no one feels taken for granted.”
Ronny Dampers, Executive Director of the Namibia Development Trust and a social justice activist, urged Namport to ensure the new consultations are properly advertised and inclusive.
“Consultations should not just be a box-ticking exercise. Communities affected by such a development must be heard, and once a decision is made Namport must return to explain how and why,” he said.
“Earlier concerns must be addressed not only scientifically but in a way that satisfies the community. We need a national benchmark on what meaningful consultations entail — for Namport, green hydrogen projects, and oil and gas developments alike.”
The project, to be executed under a design-build-own-operate-transfer (DBOOT) model, aims to support drilling in the Orange Basin. It would extend the Lüderitz berth by 500 metres, 300 metres for the oil and gas industry and 200 metres for other sectors and reclaim 14 hectares of land for short-term storage of oil-field cargo.
Explaining the tender’s cancellation in August, Namport marketing and stakeholder engagement manager Cliff Shikwambi said:
“The decision was informed by several factors, one being serious indications of public and stakeholder confusion regarding the project and the current EIA study. Namport deemed it most appropriate to first clear up these misconceptions with the public and key stakeholders, rather than risk compromising an otherwise very sensitive environmental assessment.”
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