The Madang provincial government in Papua New Guinea is likely to file a lawsuit against the owner of the Ramu nickel mine in coming weeks.
The mine, owned by Metallurgical Corp of China, or MCC, has been found to have mismanaged toxic waste it dumps into the sea.
Madang's government engaged an oil spill response consultant from Sweden, Dr Alex Mojon to investigate contamination of local waters and fish species.
A report into the matter by PNG's Conservation and Environmental Protection Authority is still pending. But, a lawyer working with Madang's government, Ben Lomai, told Johnny Blades that Dr Mojon's probe identified catastrophic impacts from mine waste on the marine environment.
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A spill into the bay earlier this year turned the sea red. Photo: Facebook/ Elisha Wesley Mizeu