Minerals Report - International Seabed Authority

Sonar equipment used on some DBM vessels does overlap with the
communication frequencies of marine mammals, but little is known about
the hearing in these animals. Hence the EIA recommended that further
studies should focus on detecting behaviour of the dolphins in relation to
the use of sonar equipment.
Heaviside’s dolphins are frequently sighted “frolicking” and
giving birth in close proximity to the DBM vessels operating closest to the
Orange River mouth [25]. Since it is endemic to the region, and of special
conservation significance, Heaviside’s have been adopted by DBM and are
used as the logo for the DBM Environmental Management Team. The
company sponsors research on them through the Worldwide Fund for
Nature in South Africa (WWF-SA). With increased environmental
awareness of vessel-based staff, the company has been able to provide
dependable and consistent records of marine mammal sightings on the
west coast – a valuable dataset for researchers in an area in which little
data would otherwise be collected.
3.1.4 Effects on birds in the Orange River Estuary
The Orange River estuary is a RAMSAR site, and it is thereby
designated to be a wetland of international importance. Large numbers of
water birds, including pelicans, flamingos and spoonbills characterise the
wetland, and are particularly sensitive to aircraft flying overhead.
Flight paths for helicopters used for crew changes and supplies to
DBM vessels avoid flying over the river mouth to minimise disturbance.
3.2 Ongoing monitoring requirements arising from the EIA
At the conclusion of the EIA none of the impacts studied were
considered to be highly significant for the current scale of the DBM mining
operation, and no impacts identified were considered to be sufficiently
significant to prevent mining in the area.
The development of the EIA pointed to the fact that DBM is but
one of a number of operators and license holders actively mining on the
continental shelf of southern Namibia. This raises the need for a strategic
assessment of the cumulative impact of all mining operations as the basis
for better management of the marine resources [26]. Such an initiative,
ideally driven by Namibian governmental bodies, would also critically
INTERNATIONAL SEABED AUTHORITY 632