A dredge head with cutting teeth that completely removes a three-metre layer of the seabed. This is the type of machinery that would be deployed if mining for marine phosphates were to go ahead in South Africa.
This animation produced by the Safeguard our Seabed Coalition − of which SADSTIA is a member − provides a clear explanation of what would happen if the Department of Mineral Resources were to give the go-ahead for the mining of marine phosphates.
No other country has permitted bulk sediment seabed mining in its exclusive economic zone and there is a complete lack of information about its impact on marine ecosystems.
The main objective of the Safeguard our Seabed Coalition is to pursue a moratorium, or ban, on marine phosphate mining in South Africa.
