Possible shipment of WS phosphates to Brazil
Article image
Via Tasmania, Australia.
Published 21 December 2008


The Australian company Impact has for a number of years been an importer of phosphate rock from occupied Western Sahara.

The imported phosphates have been used for production of fertilizers for the Australian farming industry. Some of it for use on Tasmania, and some for use for the Australian mainland.

But at least on one occasion, the end product has also been exported. In May 2007, 50.000 tonnes of fertilizer was exported to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The photo above shows the vessel 'Nena M', loaded with parts the cargo. Photo was taken in Hobart harbour, Tasmania, on 10th of May 2007. A few days later, the remainder of the cargo was loaded onto the vessel, before she departed.

It is not clear who the importer in Brazil was. And it has not been 100% confirmed whether the original source of the product in fact came from phosphate rock in Western Sahara, or somewhere else. Considering Impact's regular imports from Western Sahara, however, WSRW finds it likely that the source is indeed from the occupied country.

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