Rhino Resources 3D Seismic Survey in PEL0085/Block 2914A, offshore southern Namibia

Rhino Resources Namibia Ltd (Rhino) and its Joint Venture (JV) partners, Azule Energy Exploration Angola Limited, NAMCOR and Korres Investments (Pty) Ltd, are the joint holders of a Petroleum Exploration Licence (PEL0085) over Block 2914A, located off the southern coast of Namibia. The Block covers an area of 5 338 square kilometres in extent and is located ~148 km from Oranjemund and ~260 km from Lüderitz, in water depths ranging from 200 m to 1 800 m.

Based on the exploration results to date, Rhino and its JV partners are proposing to undertake 3D seismic surveying activities across PEL0085/Block 2914A. The proposed survey area will extend beyond the Block boundary. Up to 8 seismic campaigns are proposed from 2026/27 to 2029/30, with each campaign being~2.5 to 3 months in duration.

The proposed project triggers several listed activities in terms of the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) Regulations 2012, and as such requires an Environmental Clearance Certificate (ECC) from the Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Tourism (MEFT) before these activities can commence. As part of this process, an Environmental and Social Impact Assessment (ESIA) must be undertaken. SLR Environmental Consulting (Namibia) (Pty) Ltd (SLR) has been appointed as the independent Environmental Assessment Practitioner (EAP) to manage the ECC application and to undertake the ESIA process.

Status

The Final ESIA Scoping Report has been submitted to MEFT for review and decision making on 5 August 2026. The Final ESIA Scoping Report was prepared in compliance with Section 8 and 15(2) of the EIA Regulations 2012, and was informed by comments received from I&APs following the distribution of the draft report for review and comment from 15 June to 15 July 2026, and those raised during public engagements, as well as the online public meeting.

All written submissions received have been incorporated, and responded to, in a Comments and Responses Report (see Appendix B.9).