Debmarine Namibia has a 20-year environmental track record of shallow-water, least impact diamond recovery operations. We relentlessly pursue innovative new solutions to achieve a positive impact on the Namibian environment for the greater good of our country, our people and our environment.
Our ambition is to minimise our water footprint and to become carbon neutral by 2030.
20-year environmental track record
Pursues innovative new solutions
Sets the benchmark for industry
Invests heavily in environmental research
Our independently audited, shallow-water diamond recovery operations take place at depths of 90m to 140m, targeting only viable accumulations of diamond bearing gravel and ensuring that 99% of the extracted sediment is returned to the ocean bed.
Our licence to operate is conditional upon environmental compliance and all aspects of our operations are carefully considered and managed in line with the highest standards of environmental management.
Our environmental programme covers five key impact areas:
Biodiversity
Debmarine Namibia recovers diamonds within the Benguela upwelling system in the Atlantic Ocean, a biologically productive system that supports a vast array of different species, therefore, any effects on the ecosystem must be carefully considered.
Climate change
Aligned to our Building Forever sustainability objectives aimed at protecting the natural diamond market, Debmarine Namibia has committed to be carbon neutral by 2030 and is implementing a strategy to achieve this ambitious goal.
Water and waste management
Debmarine Namibia’s Environmental function is guided by the principles of reuse, reduction, and recycling to minimise any associated impacts our operations might have on the environment.
Mine closure and rehabilitation
Mine closure is the formal process of planning and managing the decommissioning of a mining site, mitigating impacts and legacy issues, undertaking ongoing environmental rehabilitation/ monitoring, and eventually relinquishing the mining license.
Environment incidents
Our governance framework for managing and reporting environmental incidents ensures that we meet or exceed expectations for the issuing of our environmental clearance certificate.
