Mining company Trans Hex’s application for marine diamond mining rights along the West Coast has raised significant concerns over potential threats to fisheries, marine ecology, and heritage sites.
A recent application by mining company Trans Hex for marine diamond mining rights along the West Coast has sparked significant concerns over potential threats to fisheries and marine ecology . Trans Hex has applied for a marine diamond mining right offshore of two eco-sensitive areas and a multi-commodity prospecting right in multiple concessions totalling 321km2 along a huge 80km swath of the West Coast.
The giant crawling machines they plan to use threaten fisheries, marine ecology, and three heritage shipwreck sites. Trans Hex’s double application to mine along 80km of the West Coast offered the public a chance to test the new Protect the West Coast (PTWC) participation portal, Ripl. This platform allows individuals to register as Interested & Affected Parties (I&APs) and voice objections to mining applications. Protect the West Coast’s legal team warns that Trans Hex’s two applications raise serious concerns about the future of marine archaeological heritage, as well as the marine and coastal ecology and fisheries in a 321km² area along 80km of coastline, from just south of the Northern Cape border to Doringbaai. The first application, by Trans Hex Operations Pty Ltd, seeks to mine diamonds for 30 years in two marine concessions (11B and 13B) off the Sout and Olifants rivers. These ‘B’ concessions extend from 1 to 5km offshore, where a remote-controlled seabed machine operates at depths of up to 200 metres, digging up gravel to be processed on a large vessel above before being dumped back into the sea. West Coast artisanal diver and activist Gavin Craythorne says: ‘Deep water diamond mining is a big problem. These machines are sucking up 600 tons of gravel per hour 24/7. The disturbance to the ocean takes a very long time to rehabilitate.’ Three shipwrecks are located within the 1km buffers of the concessions, necessitating a Marine Heritage Impact Assessment
Mining Environment Marine Ecology Fisheries Heritage Sites
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