Trans Hex Operations - Update of the Environmental Management Programme for Marine Diamond Mining in 11A, 12A, 13A and Corresponding Surf-Zone Concessions and Admiralty Strips

Trans Hex Operations (Pty) Ltd (Trans Hex) (formerly Moonstone Diamond Marketing (Pty) Limited) holds various Mining Rights for the concession areas 11A, 12A, 13A and their corresponding surf-zones and admiralty strips located off the West Coast of South Africa. The concession areas area located along approximately 80 km stretch of coastline between 6 km North of the Sout River in the north and Doringbaai in the south.

The current mining activities are approved and executed under an EMPr that was approved in 2002. In correspondence dated 9 October 2020, Trans Hex were requested by the Department of Mineral Resources and Energy (DMRE) to update the existing EMPr to meet the current requirements for EMPr documents as set out in NEMA and the EIA Regulations 2014, as amended.

As part of the EMPr update, additional specialist studies have been undertaken and an updated description of the baseline environment and impact assessment have been completed for incorporation into the updated EMPr, and to inform the recommended mitigation measures included in the updated EMPr.

The Final EIA and EMPr is available below.

SLR Consulting (South Africa) (Pty) Ltd (SLR), an independent firm of Environmental Assessment Practitioners, has been appointed by Trans Hex Operations to manage the Environmental Impact process.

Status

The Department of Mineral and Petroleum Resources (DMPR) has approved the amendment, upgrade and consolidation of the Environmental Management Programme (EMPr) for marine diamond mining operations within Sea Concessions 11A, 12A and 13A, as well as the corresponding surf-zones. The approval was granted in terms of Regulation 33 of the Environmental Impact Assessment Regulations, 2014 (as amended), promulgated under the National Environmental Management Act, 1998 (Act No. 107 of 1998).