Minerals Report - International Seabed Authority

With regard to the health and safety of workers, Ms. Zaamwani said
that this part of operations is regulated by the 1968 Ordinance. She said that
most of the companies operating offshore have a zero-tolerance policy
towards injuries at work, resulting in initiatives to encourage both employees
and managers to ensure that the operations are conducted above reproach.
In summary, Ms. Zaamwani said that the Minerals Act has
comprehensive provisions relating to the submission of the data and
information that it requires. She said that the Act also prescribes the type of
information that the Government would like to have. She said that by
prescribing the format of the data and information that it requires, the work of
the operator has been simplified.
Ms. Zaamwani said that although the confidentiality of data is
guaranteed during the currency of the license there have been s individuals
who have benefited from the use of confidential data especially during the
renewal stage. She said that generally such data are revealed to competitors.
She said that efforts are underway by the industry to ensure that
confidentiality is operative in practice and that it is not just a piece of
legislation. She said that the authorities use the data to monitor performance
and it is particularly relevant during renewal because in the past, many
license holders would not undertake any work until shortly before the due
date of their reports when they would go and drill three or four holes. They
would then go to the Ministry and claim that this was work done during the
previous three years, and request additional time on their licenses. She said
that the Ministry is now applying this provision in a serious manner,
scrutinizing each and every detail of operators’ work programmes and
expenditures to ensure that they have actually carried out the work.
Ms. Zaamwani informed participants that the principle of use it or lose
it is becoming very prominent in the Namibian industry, as well as in South
Africa. Ms. Zaamwani said that this principle is encouraging operators to
take their licenses seriously and ensure that they are carrying out the required
work.
In relation to the raw data requirements of the Act, Ms. Zaamwani’s
opinion is that since the regulatory authorities because of lack of capacity and
INTERNATIONAL SEABED AUTHORITY 781