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Prospecting rights in South Africa

Green Flash Trading 251 (Pty) Ltd

Prospecting right number: WC 30/5/1/1/2/10023 PR

Location: Off West Coast from Groen River to Cape Town

Size: 63 637 square kilometres

Overlaps with four proposed offshore marine protected areas; Childs Bank, Benguela Bank, Benguela Muds and Cape Canyon.

Coincides with areas identified as Critically Endangered Ecosystems and with benthic habitat types that don’t exist anywhere else.

Overlaps with fishing footprints: Demersal trawl, demersal long-line, pelagic long-line, small pelagic purse seine, tuna pole, traditional line and west coast rock lobster fisheries.

Status: Right executed and financial provision was provided accordingly (not commenced). Green Flash Trading has entered into an agreement with Montero Mining and Exploration and Oviation Capital in order to finance prospecting in the license area and for plans to establish a fertiliser plant in Saldanha to process the rock phosphate.

Green Flash Trading 257 (Pty) Ltd

Prospecting right number: WC 30/5/1/1/2/ 10024 PR

Location: Southwest Coast from Cape Town to Cape Infanta

Size: 44 389 square kilometres

Overlaps with three proposed offshore marine protected areas; Browns Bank Complex, Browns Bank Corals and Agulhas Bank Complex.

Coincides with areas identified as Critically Endangered Ecosystems and and with benthic habitat types that don’t exist anywhere else.

Overlaps with fishing footprints: Demersal trawl, demersal long-line, pelagic long-line, small pelagic purse seine, tuna pole, traditional line and west coast rock lobster fisheries.

Other comments: Significant objections raised against Green Flash 257 prospecting rights applications related, inter alia, to environmental damage, negative impacts on fishery resources and inadequate public consultation.

Status of right: Granted not executed as applicant has not submitted financial provision.

Diamond Fields International

Prospecting right number: WC30/5/1/2/2/10038PR

Date granted: Lodged on 19 December 2012, publicly announced granted on 13 January 2014

Company details: Tornoto listed, Canadian company

Overlaps with three proposed offshore marine protected areas; Browns Bank Complex, Agulhas Bank Complex and Southwest Indian Seamounts.

Location: within the Outeniqua Basin, offshore Mossel Bay

Size: 47 468 square kilometres

Proposed prospecting programme includes remote sensing, grab and core sampling and bulk sampling. Bulk sampling could extract up to 500 tonnes of sediment from the sea-floor.

Other comments: Untransparent process. Many stakeholders only became aware of the right from a Canadian media release.

Status of right: Granted, not executed as applicant not yet submitted financial provision. Prospecting has not commenced.

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