16 May 2025
Another attraction in the harbour town of Lüderitz in south-western Namibia: at the Namibia Maritime Museum you can now also find out how diamonds are mined on the seabed. A new permanent exhibition provides a good overview.
The Namibian company Debmarine put the exhibition together and has now officially opened it. Several panels provide information about the methods and techniques used to mine diamonds from the seabed.
According to Debmarine, one focus is on technological innovations that ensure that the extraction of the coveted crystals is as sustainable as possible. In addition to tourists, the main target groups are schoolchildren and students.
At Kolmanskop east of Lüderitz, the railway worker Zacharias Lewala found the first diamond. It was lying open on the sandy ground. The deserted settlement of Kolmanskop with sand drifts in the houses is now a visitor attraction.
Over the following decades, diamond mining spread along the coast south of Lüderitz. A strip of land around 100 kilometres wide was declared a restricted area. Diamonds are also mined on the banks of the Gariep (Oranje) River.
The precious crystals come from the Kimberley region. Over millions of years, the Gariep has washed them from there into the Atlantic. The strong currents then distributed the stones further along the seabed north of the estuary. As the water level of the oceans sank, the diamonds were exposed on land.
Debmarine Namibia was founded in 2002. Since 2011, the company has been owned equally by the De Beers Group and the Namibian government. It mines diamonds from depths of up to 140 metres. In 2014, Debmarine reached a record production of 1.273 million carats (see Debmarine Namibia website).
The Maritime Museum was only opened in September last year (see report from Namibian.org ). With an area of 2,500 square metres, spread over five 'decks' (floors), it is the largest maritime museum in Africa. It is located in the remodelled building of the former power station.
Exhibits such as old maps, ship models and navigation instruments bring the past of seafaring off the coast of Namibia to life in one's mind's eye. You can also learn a lot about fishing and the inhabitants of the sea and coast.
Opening hours are Mondays to Fridays from 9.30 am to 6.30 pm and Saturdays from 9.30 am to 1.30 pm. On Sundays and public holidays the museum is closed.
Sven-Eric Stender
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