Call grows for independent offshore safety regulator in Namibia
STAKEHOLDERS in Namibia’s offshore oil and gas sector are calling for the urgent creation of an independent offshore safety regulator, amid concerns that the country’s current safety oversight mechanisms are inadequate for a rapidly advancing industry.
The call was made during the Erongo Offshore Safety Conference held in Swakopmund, where Knowledge Ipinge, Chief Strategist of the Namibian Association for Offshore Oil and Gas Service Providers, said the absence of an independent regulatory body leaves workers vulnerable to unsafe practices and exposes the country to environmental and reputational risks.
“The journey we are embarking on today began in March 2020, when I witnessed first-hand how offshore workers faced anxiety due to legal and policy gaps in the sector,” Ipinge said. “We cannot continue with a paternalistic, top-down model. We must create a regulator that is fully empowered and free from corporate influence.”
Namibia’s current offshore governance framework is primarily grounded in the Petroleum (Exploration and Production) Act of 1991, which mandates environmental impact assessments and contains provisions for pollution control under Section 71. However, according to Iipinge, the Act does not provide for an autonomous regulator dedicated exclusively to health, safety, and environmental (HSE) matters in offshore operations.
He said that presently, safety monitoring responsibilities fall under various arms of government, including the Ministry of Mines and Energy, the Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Tourism, and local disaster risk committees. This fragmented oversight is said to create loopholes that could lead to oversight failures as the scale of petroleum activity grows.
With offshore drilling projects entering exploratory and pre-development phases, the demand for a single, professional oversight body is rising.
“We must ensure strict adherence to safety protocols and mandate independent audits and inspections,” Ipinge said. “These are not optional—they are non-negotiable.”
Erongo Governor Neville Andre in his keynote address at the opening of the conference on Thursday referenced that, following the Piper Alpha disaster in 1988, the United Kingdom established the Health and Safety Executive’s Offshore Division, which operates independently of both industry and economic ministries. Similarly, Norway’s Petroleum Safety Authority has regulatory independence and is widely viewed as a model in the North Sea region.
“Laws are only as strong as their enforcement. All stakeholders must work closely to ensure no shortcut undermines safety,” said Andre,
He also warned that the country’s rise as a global energy partner could be derailed by safety lapses: “Progress without protection is an illusion. A single lapse can erase years of trust and destroy ecosystems.”
The call was made during the Erongo Offshore Safety Conference held in Swakopmund, where Knowledge Ipinge, Chief Strategist of the Namibian Association for Offshore Oil and Gas Service Providers, said the absence of an independent regulatory body leaves workers vulnerable to unsafe practices and exposes the country to environmental and reputational risks.
“The journey we are embarking on today began in March 2020, when I witnessed first-hand how offshore workers faced anxiety due to legal and policy gaps in the sector,” Ipinge said. “We cannot continue with a paternalistic, top-down model. We must create a regulator that is fully empowered and free from corporate influence.”
Namibia’s current offshore governance framework is primarily grounded in the Petroleum (Exploration and Production) Act of 1991, which mandates environmental impact assessments and contains provisions for pollution control under Section 71. However, according to Iipinge, the Act does not provide for an autonomous regulator dedicated exclusively to health, safety, and environmental (HSE) matters in offshore operations.
He said that presently, safety monitoring responsibilities fall under various arms of government, including the Ministry of Mines and Energy, the Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Tourism, and local disaster risk committees. This fragmented oversight is said to create loopholes that could lead to oversight failures as the scale of petroleum activity grows.
With offshore drilling projects entering exploratory and pre-development phases, the demand for a single, professional oversight body is rising.
“We must ensure strict adherence to safety protocols and mandate independent audits and inspections,” Ipinge said. “These are not optional—they are non-negotiable.”
Erongo Governor Neville Andre in his keynote address at the opening of the conference on Thursday referenced that, following the Piper Alpha disaster in 1988, the United Kingdom established the Health and Safety Executive’s Offshore Division, which operates independently of both industry and economic ministries. Similarly, Norway’s Petroleum Safety Authority has regulatory independence and is widely viewed as a model in the North Sea region.
“Laws are only as strong as their enforcement. All stakeholders must work closely to ensure no shortcut undermines safety,” said Andre,
He also warned that the country’s rise as a global energy partner could be derailed by safety lapses: “Progress without protection is an illusion. A single lapse can erase years of trust and destroy ecosystems.”
