SBS World News Australia Radio
By Stefan Armbuster
7 October 2013
A controversial, world-first deep sea mine in PNG looks set to go ahead, after arbitration settles a financial dispute, but traditional land owners are not happy.
A controversial deep sea copper and gold mine in Papua New Guinea looks set to go ahead after binding arbitration by a former Australian High Court judge found in favour of the company Nautilus Minerals.
In a statement, Nautilus said former justice Murray Gleeson ordered the PNG government to fulfil a deal to buy a 30 per cent stake in the project for about $120 million.
The world’s first deep sea mine, known as Solwara 1 was approved by the PNG’s Somare government in January 2011 in the Bismark Sea near New Ireland province but stalled over the payment issue.
New Ireland anti-mine activist Oigen Schultze told Stefan Armbruster local inhabitants have still not been properly consulted or consented to the mine.
