Photo caption: Photo: Oiled African Penguins at a rehabilitation facility (Photo: SANCCOB)
With commercial offshore oil production projected for the end of the decade, a local marine conservationist is urging continued focus on environmental safeguards to protect Namibia’s coastline.
Between 2022 and 2024, significant discoveries in the Orange Basin by international energy companies including Shell, TotalEnergies and Galp placed Namibia firmly on the global energy map. The developments have generated high economic expectations, including potential job creation and state revenue. However, Damian Schreiber, Publicist, Seal Rescuer and Junior Researcher at Ocean Conservation Namibia, says preparedness for potential oil spill incidents must remain a national priority. “Offshore oil and gas development is likely to proceed given the economic momentum,” Schreiber said. “That makes it essential that mitigation systems, emergency response capacity and environmental oversight are robust and fully operational.” Namibia’s coastline forms part of the highly productive Benguela Current ecosystem, which supports fish stocks, seabird colonies and marine mammals.
According to Schreiber, oil contamination, whether from large-scale well blowouts or smaller operational leaks, can impact furbearing mammals, seabirds and marine species Oil can affect animals’ insulation and buoyancy, and toxins may move through the food chain, potentially affecting fisheries. In 2009, an oil spill near Lüderitz resulted in more than 100 African penguins being oiled. The lack of local rehabilitation facilities at the time led to the birds being transported to South Africa. That incident contributed to the establishment of NAMCOB and the creation of a National Oiled Wildlife Contingency Plan.
While progress has been made, Schreiber notes that Namibia’s 1 572-kilometre coastline includes remote and inaccessible areas, which could complicate response efforts in the event of a major spill. Before any offshore drilling project can proceed, it must undergo an Environmental and Social Impact Assessment (ESIA) under Namibia’s Environmental Management Act. An ESIA is a detailed study that evaluates potential environmental and social risks of a proposed development. It assesses impacts on ecosystems, communities and livelihoods, and proposes mitigation measures. Only once this process is completed can an Environmental Clearance Certificate (ECC) be issued by the relevant authorities. One of the major projects currently under review is the Venus oil field development led by TotalEnergies in the Orange Basin.
According to recent reporting by The Villager, the joint venture developing the offshore Venus Field submitted its final Environmental and Social Impact Assessment and Environmental and Social Management Plan in January and is now awaiting a decision, on the Environmental Clearance Certificate required before construction drilling can begin. Schreiber emphasised that economic development and environmental protection should go hand in hand. “The goal is not to oppose development,” he said. “It is to ensure that opportunity is matched by preparedness, transparency and effective environmental management.”
By Eileen van der Schyff
Sources: The Villager, Nambia-oilandgas, Mining and Energy
