Troubled-Waters_FINAL

TROUBLED WATERS
BASAmUk BAY, pApUA nEW gUinEA
MeTaLLurgiCaL Construction
Corp. of China and Highlands
Pacific of Australia are seeking
authorization to dump 5
million tonnes of tailings per
year from the Ramu Nickel
mine into Basumak (Astrolabe) Bay of the
Bismarck Sea. This bay is a prime fishing area.
Local landowners are concerned the proposal
will cause environmental destruction and
irrevocably damage their traditional livelihoods. 117
Communities in the area have opposed the
project and hundreds of landowners came
together to file lawsuits that temporarily stopped
the dumping. However, in late December 2011,
the PNG Supreme Court lifted the stay, giving
the mining companies the green signal to resume
dumping in the biodiversity-rich coastal waters.
Local landowner plaintiffs in the case have faced
persistent intimidation and have required police
protection. 118
The Ramu Nickel project is backed by the
bank ANZ (a shareholder in Highlands Pacific)
20
and the China Export-Import bank, providing
US$ 560 million in finance. 119
Marengo Mining of Australia has proposed a
copper-gold mine near the Ramu Nickel site that
would also dump tailings into Astrolabe Bay at a
rate potentially five times that of the Ramu mine.
The company is planning for the Yandera mine to
begin operating in 2015. Marengo claims to be
evaluating options for tailings and is still seeking
US$1.6 billion in financing to build the mine. 120
BELOW: Basamuk Bay , Papua New Guinea, is threatened by tailings
dumping from the proposed Ramu nickel mine.
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PHOTO: JESSIE BOYLAN
PHOTO: GDAMIAN BAKER