The Namibian Marine Phosphate company – NMP – says campaigners against marine phosphate mining are misleading the public about the impact such mining will have on the ecosystem. In a media statement issued on Tuesday, the NMP accused of recklessness those against the decision by the Environmental Commissioner two months ago to grant the company an environmental clearance certificate. The company also said they are creating an emotional reaction with no factual evidence of why phosphate mining and fishing may not co-exist.. Environmental Commissioner Teofilus Nghitila granted the NMP an environmental clearance certificate – ECC – for the mining of marine phosphate some 120 kilometres southwest of Walvis Bay. The company stated that experts believe that dredging activities would have minimal environmental impact in Mining License Area 170. This includes any impact on a respectful functional co-existence alongside the existing commercial fishing industry. It says the development of the marine phosphate industry should not be hijacked by any polarising entities or parties. Earlier, Fisheries and Marine Resources Minister Bernard Esau said the Environmental Commissioner did not follow the right procedures in issuing the ECC. Marine phosphate mining is not done in any other country and should NMP succeed with its application, Namibia would be the first country to do so.