By John K WaDisho
WINDHOEK | 12 August — Debmarine Namibia has announced plans to lay off employees following the early retirement of two mining vessels, citing declining diamond prices and increasing operational costs.
The marine diamond mining company confirmed that the Grand Banks and Coral Sea vessels will be decommissioned ahead of schedule, potentially affecting up to 100 Namibian workers.
“Between the two vessels, we are talking about approximately 180 people, of which about 100 are Namibians,” Chief Executive Officer Willy Mertens said. “So far, we have been able to accommodate around 45 of them in other operations, but we are still busy with the exercise to see how best we can minimise job losses.”
Debmarine Namibia, a joint venture between the Namibian government and Anglo American’s De Beers Group, is the country’s leading offshore diamond miner. The company attributed the decision to challenging market conditions, including a sustained drop in diamond demand and elevated running costs for aging vessels.
The potential retrenchments mark one of the company’s largest recent workforce adjustments. Management has pledged to continue exploring redeployment options to soften the blow to affected employees and local communities – Namibia Daily News
