The Dutch trading company Nidera will take the issue of Western Sahara “into consideration” if confronted with another need to import to the Latin American country.
In 2009, Western Sahara Resource Watch wrote a story on its webpages regarding the vessel ‘Katina’, transporting phosphate rock from occupied Western Sahara to Uruguay. WSRW had identified the local importer as Nidera Uruguaya, a subsidiary of Dutch oil and grain trading company Nidera.
Nidera has recently clarified to WSRW that the incident was not part of a bigger pattern of imports. The import occurred by the time the company was taking a minor parcel of a bigger vessel. They state they will take the issue “into consideration” if confronted with another need to import to the Latin American country.
“We fully comply with all applicable laws. If our subsidiary in Uruguay again needs to import phosphate rock in the future, the matter which is now brought to our attention is something we shall definitively take into consideration”, stated Nidera’s CSR responsible Aukje Berden to WSRW.
Neither during the years 2007, 2008, 2010 nor 2011 did its Uruguayan subsidiary import phosphate rock at all, according the company. The 2009 total import volume was nearly identical to the ‘Katina’ shipment.
New report: Western Sahara phosphate trade halved
The export of phosphate rock from occupied Western Sahara has never been lower than in 2019. This is revealed in the new WSRW report P for Plunder, published today.
New report on Western Sahara phosphate industry out now
Morocco shipped 1.93 million tonnes of phosphate out of occupied Western Sahara in 2018, worth an estimated $164 million, new report shows. Here is all you need to know about the volume, values, vessels and clients.
New report on contentious Western Sahara phosphate trade
Morocco shipped over 1.5 million tonnes of phosphate out of occupied Western Sahara in 2017, to the tune of over $142 million. But the number of international importers of the contentious conflict mineral is waning, WSRW's annual report shows.
New report on global phosphate trade from occupied Western Sahara
Over 200 million dollars worth of phosphate rock was shipped out of occupied Western Sahara last year, a new report from WSRW shows. For the first time, India is among the top importers.