Business & Human Rights Resource Centre invited Nautilus Minerals to respond to concerns raised in a media report about seabed mining.

The company responded:

"Thank you for the opportunity to comment on the recent media report about Nautilus' proposed seabed mining activities in Milne Bay, Papua New Guinea.

Key Points

1) Not been tested: We tested or technology in FAT in the UK and USA. We have completed further submerged trials in PNG, and plan further trials and tests prior to Project start up.

2) Waste: There will be no tailings or large engineered waste dumps (as occurs on land). The return water is filtered to 8 microns prior to being returned to the water depth from where it originally came from. This is all detailed in our EIS, which the Professor clearly has not bothered to read.

3) Currents: Nautilus completed 12 months of detailed current studies at Solwara 1. The measurements showed that the current at 1500m was actually relatively slow, generally moving at around 0.5 of a knot, and was diurnal (influenced by the moon). The full water column current data also showed there were no upwelling currents and no mixing of the water column at the proposed mine site. All of this work is detailed in the company’s EIS, which was submitted to the PNG Government in 2008, and is available on our web site. 

4) Tuna: The West Coast of New Ireland has very poor tuna abundances due to a lack of large river run-offs (as occur in the main Bismarck Sea with rivers feeding in from the mainland). Maps detailing this are in our EIS, which once again the Professor has not read.

5) Consultation: There has been extensive consultation with various stakeholders, over >10 years, including extensive village based consultation. Professor Kaluwin actually attended the companies EIS inception report workshop in POM in 2007, along with various international scientists, researchers, provincial government representatives, regulators, and other stakeholders..."