Cases / Mining / tailings dam · Papua New Guinea · 2018
Ramu and Lihir mines discharge millions of tonnes of tailings a year at sea
Short record: the main facts, with sources. A full case file has not been prepared.
Nature's voice · report
No measurement of the harm done to me here is on record.
Did nature suffer? Not measured.
Not on record
- The record does not name which of my species, waters, soils or forests were harmed.
A 2018 Frontiers in Marine Science article reported that the Ramu mine discharges about 5 million tonnes of tailings a year into Basamuk Bay. The sources reviewed do not describe the ecological effects of the discharge.
What?
The Ramu and Lihir mines in Papua New Guinea discharge tailings into the sea. Frontiers in Marine Science
Where?
Basamuk Bay (Ramu) and Lihir, Papua New Guinea Frontiers in Marine Science
When?
Discharge rates as given in a 2018 article; start dates are not in the sources reviewed. Frontiers in Marine Science
Who?
Gained
None on recordLost
None on recordHarmed
None on recordWhy?
Not stated in the sources reviewed.
How?
Tailings are discharged directly into the sea (submarine tailings disposal). Frontiers in Marine Science
5 of 6 questions answered from the record · open: who
What happened
The record, in order.
A 2018 article in Frontiers in Marine Science reported that the Ramu mine discharges about 5 million tonnes of tailings a year into Basamuk Bay.
The same article reported that the Lihir mine discharges 3.5 to 4.5 million tonnes a year.
In court and with insurers
Every proceeding and every insurer decision on record.
Lawsuits and rulings
No court case on record. No court has ruled on this case.
Insurers
No insurer decision on record.
What we don't know
Undisclosed, unproven, untried: recorded as data.
Nature
- Not measured Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.
Record
- None on record The sources reviewed do not describe the ecological effects of the discharge.
- None on record The sources reviewed do not name the operators, permits or start dates of the Ramu and Lihir mines.
- None on record A tabulated line on the same discharge method has no source text in the sources reviewed and is not used.
Did the harm stop?
Not stated in the sources reviewed.
Who paid?
Not stated in the sources reviewed.
Sources
Voices on record: — Company or project— Government and regulators— Courts— Press and investigations— Communities and civil society✓ Researchers
Researchers
- Submarine Tailings DisposalFrontiers in Marine Science · 2018