30 August 2019

A Chinese nickel mine operator has apologised after accidentally spilling an estimated 200,000 litres of toxic slurry into a bay in Papua New Guinea's Madang province, turning the water bright red and staining the shore.

...Mineral Resources Authority managing director Jerry Garry told the ABC's Pacific Beat program the slurry was "very acidic".

...Authorities said compensation would be pursued and a punishment would also be imposed on the plant operator, Ramu Nickel, which is owned by the Metallurgical Corp of China (MCC).

Ramu Nickel's vice-president, Wang Baowen, said the company was extremely concerned about the incident and "committed to address any compensation".

The spill is the latest incident in the Ramu Nickel mine's short but troubled history. The $2 billion project was the first Chinese resource investment in Papua New Guinea.

The start of operations were delayed by a year as landowners fought an unsuccessful legal battle to prevent it from dumping waste into the sea by a process known as deep-sea tailings disposal.

...Despite the toxic nature of the spill, the mineral authority's inspector found no immediate safety concerns and no reason to shut down the plant's operations.

Residue samples have been sent to Australia for testing, with results expected in under a month.