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Oil tanker port view
investing in our facilities to improve salt quality
Oil tanker
cutting-edge technology enhances salt harvesting
Passenger liner
improved productivity means higher output
Oil and Gas and Bunkering
maintain 99% salt purity with fine-tuned processing
Oil and Gas and Bunkering
operating over a 5,000ha area
Salt at its best


Step into the world of Walvis Bay Salt, Africa's largest producer of natural solar sea salt. Nestled along Namibia's pristine coastline, we harness the power of sun, wind, and seawater to create pure, high-quality salt trusted across industries and households worldwide.

From enhancing flavors in kitchens to supporting industries with premium-grade products, we take pride in delivering excellence that flows from nature to your table and beyond.

Explore our story, discover our process, and experience the purity of Walvis Bay Salt—crafted by nature, refined with care.


products & operations


Production
Processing
Harvesting
Exporting
Bagging

Production

The salt operation at Walvis Bay Salt Holdings comprises three companies, Salt & Chemicals (Pty) Ltd, Walvis Bay Salt Refiners (Pty) Ltd, and Ekango Salt Refiners (Pty) Ltd.

Salt & Chemicals operates the salt field and produces the raw salt, whilst Walvis Bay Salt Refiners further processes and markets the product internationally. Ekango Salt Refiners produces table salt for various local and international markets.

An updated copy of our product specifications and certifications can be obtained from the following email address: info_at_wbsalt.com

The Process

The Walvis Bay Salt Refiners salt production process is based on the solar evaporation of seawater to produce 99,4% pure sodium chloride (NaCl) on dry mass basis.

Seawater, which is the only raw material, contains a 3.5% concentration of salts, of which 2.9% is sodium chloride. The water is pumped from a natural lagoon into a series of pre-evaporation ponds and then through a series of concentration ponds. The total operation covers an area of 4500ha.

Stimulated by wind and sun the brine salinity (concentrated salt water) content gradually increases until it reaches 25% NaCl, at which point it is pumped into crystallization ponds, each with a surface area of about 20ha. The salt then crystallizes to form a layer of crystals on the various crystallizer pavements.

During the evaporation process, brine depths and densities are controlled to ensure that the maximum number of unwanted chemical impurities are precipitated before they enter the crystallizers. A similar monitoring program is adopted to control the depth and density of crystallization ponds to achieve optimum efficiency levels. Performance is constantly monitored by technicians at an on-site laboratory.

Harvesting and Washing

Once the salt crystals have grown to the required levels, the product is removed by mechanical harvesters and transported to a processing plant. Here, the raw product undergoes a process of upgrading, using dilute brine as washing medium. During the wash process impurities including calcium, sulphate and magnesium is removed. The final salt solution is then dried in a centrifuge and stored on a stockpile for further draining.

Ship Loading and Exports

To avoid contamination, the salt destined for bulk exports is transported from the bulk storage facility at the harbour by a conveyor belt and spout-trimmed into the ship's hold at the Walvis Bay dockside. Loading can take place on a 24-hour basis, seven days a week.

Some of the salt is shipped to South Africa for use in the BUD Group (Pty) Ltd., but increasing amounts are now being exported to other countries in Africa.

Bagged Salt

Salt required by customers in bags is packed at a bagging facility, according to individualized bag mass requirements, and incorporating specific package identification and granule sizes according to customer needs.

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about wbsalt

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years in operation.
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we process 100 million m3 of seawater
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metric tonnes of high-quality salt per annum
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operation covers an area of 5000ha.

About Us
Our History
The Team
Our Values
Environment
CSI
Bud Group

who we are

Walvis Bay Salt Holdings (Pty) Ltd, through its various subsidiaries, is the largest producer of solar sea salt in sub-Saharan Africa. The Company processes 100 million m3 (cubic meter) of seawater per annum to produce in excess of 1,000,000 mt of high-quality salt per annum. The total operation covers an area of 5000ha.

The Group exports to various countries, including Nigeria, Cameroon, South Africa and Europe. In addition to producing salt for the chemical industry and other general purposes the Group also produces high quality table salt for the Southern Africa market. Besides South Africa, triple refined sea salt is exported to neighbouring countries, including Angola, Democratic Republic of Congo, Botswana and Zambia, mainly for human consumption.

Located in Walvis Bay, Namibia we serve as a pivotal gateway to the SADC and the rest of greater Africa. This prime location positions us uniquely to offer integrated logistics solutions and navigate complexities.

CSI

Walvis Bay Salt Holdings firmly believes in making a meaningful impact beyond its business operations by focusing on key areas of corporate social responsibility (CSI). These include community upliftment, environmental stewardship, youth development through sports, and supporting education. Through targeted initiatives and strategic contributions, the company has remained committed to fostering positive change in the lives of Namibians.

Walvis Bay Salt Holdings has consistently shown its commitment to uplifting communities and supporting resilience during challenging times. In May 2020, the company provided 10,000 essential meals to vulnerable families in Walvis Bay during the COVID-19 pandemic. These food parcels, containing staples like maize meal, sugar, and cooking oil, were distributed to the homeless, elderly care facilities, and community centers. Similarly, in 2019, the company donated N$100,000 towards drought relief efforts in the Erongo region, assisting farmers and communities affected by severe drought conditions.

Beyond emergency aid, Walvis Bay Salt Holdings supports grassroots initiatives by donating basic food items to needy residents, ensuring no community member is left behind. The company also champions youth development through active support of sports and educational programs, empowering future leaders and fostering long-term growth. By aligning its efforts with community needs, the company sets a standard for businesses integrating sustainability and social impact into their operations.

Built to Grow



Bud is an operational services, manufacturing and distribution group that aim to create long term value by building diversified growth businesses on the foundations of scale and relevance.

The Group operates in all 9 South African provinces, 12 African countries and has 11 500 employees and is built on the foundation of trust and integrity and values of agility, performance, innovation and partnership. Together it helps to build diversified growth businesses across four chosen platforms, namely Chemicals and Minerals, Industrial Services, Building Materials and Financial Services.

Visit The Bud Group to learn more.

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our story

Established in 1964, the Walvis Bay Salt Holdings Group today is a Namibian registered company, consisting of three subsidiaries.

During 1976 Sentrachem acquired a 50% shareholding in the business. The salt field was also expanded to a total capacity of ± 370kt at that time. Additional evaporation ponds and a new wash plant was also added. In 1988 Sentrachem acquired the remaining 50% shareholding from SWAFIL and the annual production capacity was further increased to 450kt per annum.

In 1999 the Company took a significant step forward in improving its strategic infrastructure by purchasing a loading facility in the Port of Walvis Bay from the then Tsumeb Copper Limited. The capacity of the pans was further expanded in 2000 and 2001 to 600kt per annum.

Further optimization of the business since then resulted in the salt field's current capacity being in excess of 900 000 tons per annum, dependent on evaporation rates. The business is currently going through exciting times and the new focus is on value addition both locally and internationally.

In the salt industry efficiency of freight and transport are essential for success. The company is focused on optimizing the logistics value chain, including finding the right freight options that can opening up new markets. The company celebrated its 50 years anniversary during 2014. On the back of continuous improvement, the company is looking forward to maintain momentum with regards to future growth, in a sustainable and environmentally responsible way.

caring for our environment

The history of Walvis Bay Salt Refiners involves more than just the capital invested in infrastructure and technology to ensure business success.

The company's achievements also flow from our passion for continued development of our human capital, ongoing respect for the delicate natural environment and consideration of the interests and well-being of our community in which we operate. The salt production process is intertwined with nature and cannot continue without the following resources:

  • The land situated in the Kuiseb river delta area, which is a declared Ramsar Wetland of International Importance.
  • The clay silt and sand used for pond embankments, pond walls and roads.
  • The seawater, the main raw material, is used for the extraction of common salt.
  • Sun and wind energy for the evaporation of water to crystallize the sodium chloride.

Although the availability of some resources seems infinite, it instills in the company a deep sense of respect and responsibility for and commitment towards the environment. Walvis Bay Salt Holdings translates this respect and responsibility towards the environment by seeking excellence in environmental management, performance and conformance.

our commitment

The Company therefore holds to the following environmental policy:
  • Prevent and reduce environmental pollution due to its business activities.
  • Assess business environmental aspects and reduce their impacts through compliance to the approved Environmental Management Plan.
  • Comply with relevant laws and regulations, specifically the Environmental Management Act and the company's Environmental Clearance Certificate.
  • Cooperate with governmental and regulatory agencies in developing and implementing sound environmental practices.
  • Conserve non-renewable resources as best as practically possible.
  • Continue to host species and habitats protected by the Ramsar Convention as part of the larger Walvis Bay Lagoon wetland and support regular bird count initiatives in the area which has been running since 1983.
  • Set environmental objectives which are monitored and reviewed regularly to ensure continual improvement of its environmental performance.
  • Make this policy and relevant associated information available to interested and affected parties on request.
  • Motivate, make aware and train employees to carry out tasks in an environmentally responsible manner, ensuring pollution prevention, reduction of waste and minimizing the consumption of resources.

future environmental options

Walvis Bay Salt Holdings is attempting to stay ahead of the regulatory agencies and determines priorities and acts on opportunities for environmental improvement. Currently the company is investigating renewable energy options as well as more efficient transport options for export salt through the Namport harbour.

evaporation ponds - an ecological importance

Our network of evaporation ponds situated in the Kuiseb river delta covers an area in excess of 5000 hectares and is surrounded by the Namib desert, Atlantic Ocean and Walvis Bay Lagoon. It comprises the largest part of the Walvis Bay wetlands area, a popular tourist attraction. Classified as a Ramsar site in 1995, the area is internationally recognised as a site of ecological importance and judged by ornithologists to be the most important coastal wetland in southern Africa and one of three most important coastal wetlands in Africa. Flamingos and other waders in their tens of thousands is a common sight.

what we stand for

Walvis Bay Salt Holdings will create sustainable prosperity for all stakeholders, by being the leading supplier of superior solar sea salt products, using technologically advanced processes and value adding services, through our skilled and committed people.

As part of The Bud Group, our people's experience is based on trust and integrity. Our four values of agility, performance, innovation and partnership, ensure we remain leaders in our markets and deliver meaningful value in the workplace.

Performance


We get it done

Innovation


We create opportunities

Agility


We react quickly and easily

Partnership


We build relationships

our management

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a glimpse into our operations


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our brochures

our policies

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make contact

We welcome your questions, suggestions, contributions or input. If you have any queries about our company, our production and of course about salt please feel free to use the form. Your query and data are protected and remain confidential at all times. You can also use the form to book school tours or to enquire about bulk salt exports.

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Due to popular demand Bookings for School Tours are fully booked for the next few months. We can only accept bookings again as from October 2025. 

Enquiries, Suggestions

Subject:

General EnqueryBulk Salt Purchase
 





All correspondence from this form is treated as confidential.




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Walvis Bay Salt complies with GDPR standards. We have strict policies to ensure data protection of visitors to this website. Any cookies used on this site are only for enhancement purposes and do not compromise data protection.


PRIVACY POLICY

Effective date: 2020-07-01

1. Introduction

Welcome to Walvis Bay Salt.

Walvis Bay Salt (“us”, “we”, or “our”) operates www.wbsalt.com (hereinafter referred to as “Service”).

Our Privacy Policy governs your visit to www.wbsalt.com, and explains how we collect, safeguard and disclose information that results from your use of our Service. We use your data to provide and improve Service. By using Service, you agree to the collection and use of information in accordance with this policy. Unless otherwise defined in this Privacy Policy, the terms used in this Privacy Policy have the same meanings as in our Terms and Conditions.

Our Terms and Conditions (“Terms”) govern all use of our Service and together with the Privacy Policy constitutes your agreement with us (“agreement”).

2. Definitions

SERVICE means the www.wbsalt.com website operated by Walvis Bay Salt.

PERSONAL DATA means data about a living individual who can be identified from those data (or from those and other information either in our possession or likely to come into our possession).

USAGE DATA is data collected automatically either generated by the use of Service or from Service infrastructure itself (for example, the duration of a page visit).

COOKIES are small files stored on your device (computer or mobile device).

DATA CONTROLLER means a natural or legal person who (either alone or jointly or in common with other persons) determines the purposes for which and the manner in which any personal data are, or are to be, processed. For the purpose of this Privacy Policy, we are a Data Controller of your data.

DATA PROCESSORS (OR SERVICE PROVIDERS) means any natural or legal person who processes the data on behalf of the Data Controller. We may use the services of various Service Providers in order to process your data more effectively.

DATA SUBJECT is any living individual who is the subject of Personal Data.

THE USER is the individual using our Service. The User corresponds to the Data Subject, who is the subject of Personal Data.

3. Information Collection and Use

We collect several different types of information for various purposes to provide and improve our Service to you. While using our Service, we may ask you to provide us with certain personally identifiable information that can be used to contact or identify you (“Personal Data”). Personally identifiable information may include, but is not limited to:
Email address, First name and last name, Phone number, Address, Country, State, Province, ZIP/Postal code, City

0.5. Cookies and Usage Data

We may use your Personal Data to contact you with newsletters, marketing or promotional materials and other information that may be of interest to you. You may opt out of receiving any, or all, of these communications from us by following the unsubscribe link. We may also collect information that your browser sends whenever you visit our Service or when you access Service by or through any device (“Usage Data”). This Usage Data may include information such as your computer's Internet Protocol address (e.g. IP address), browser type, browser version, the pages of our Service that you visit, the time and date of your visit, the time spent on those pages, unique device identifiers and other diagnostic data.

When you access Service with a device, this Usage Data may include information such as the type of device you use, your device unique ID, the IP address of your device, your device operating system, the type of Internet browser you use, unique device identifiers and other diagnostic data.

Location Data

We may use and store information about your location if you give us permission to do so (“Location Data”). We use this data to provide features of our Service, to improve and customize our Service.

You can enable or disable location services when you use our Service at any time by way of your device settings.

Cookies are files with a small amount of data which may include an anonymous unique identifier. Cookies are sent to your browser from a website and stored on your device. Other tracking technologies are also used such as beacons, tags and scripts to collect and track information and to improve and analyze our Service.

You can instruct your browser to refuse all cookies or to indicate when a cookie is being sent. However, if you do not accept cookies, you may not be able to use some portions of our Service.

Other Data

While using our Service, we may also collect the following information: sex, age, date of birth, place of birth, passport details, citizenship, registration at place of residence and actual address, telephone number (work, mobile), details of documents on education, qualification, professional training, employment agreements, office location and other data.

5. Use of Data

Walvis Bay Salt uses the collected data for various purposes:

0.1. to provide and maintain our Service;

0.2. to notify you about changes to our Service;

0.3. to allow you to participate in interactive features of our Service when you choose to do so;

0.4. to provide customer support;

0.5. to gather analysis or valuable information so that we can improve our Service;

0.6. to monitor the usage of our Service;

0.7. to detect, prevent and address technical issues;

0.8. to fulfil any other purpose for which you provide it;

0.9. to carry out our obligations and enforce our rights arising from any contracts entered into between you and us, including for billing and collection;

0.10. to provide you with notices about your account and/or subscription, including expiration and renewal notices, email-instructions, etc.;

0.11. to provide you with news, special offers and general information about other goods, services and events which we offer that are similar to those that you have already purchased or enquired about unless you have opted not to receive such information;

0.12. in any other way we may describe when you provide the information;

0.13. for any other purpose with your consent.

6. Retention of Data

We will retain your Personal Data only for as long as is necessary for the purposes set out in this Privacy Policy. We will retain and use your Personal Data to the extent necessary to comply with our legal obligations (for example, if we are required to retain your data to comply with applicable laws), resolve disputes, and enforce our legal agreements and policies. We will also retain Usage Data for internal analysis purposes. Usage Data is generally retained for a shorter period, except when this data is used to strengthen the security or to improve the functionality of our Service, or we are legally obligated to retain this data for longer time periods.

7. Transfer of Data

Your information, including Personal Data, may be transferred to - and maintained on - computers located outside of your state, province, country or other governmental jurisdiction where the data protection laws may differ from those of your jurisdiction. If you are located outside Namibia and choose to provide information to us, please note that we transfer the data, including Personal Data, to Namibia and process it there. Your consent to this Privacy Policy followed by your submission of such information represents your agreement to that transfer. Walvis Bay Salt will take all the steps reasonably necessary to ensure that your data is treated securely and in accordance with this Privacy Policy and no transfer of your Personal Data will take place to an organisation or a country unless there are adequate controls in place including the security of your data and other personal information.

8. Disclosure of Data

We may disclose personal information that we collect, or you provide:

0.1. Disclosure for Law Enforcement.

Under certain circumstances, we may be required to disclose your Personal Data if required to do so by law or in response to valid requests by public authorities.

0.2. Business Transaction.

If we or our subsidiaries are involved in a merger, acquisition or asset sale, your Personal Data may be transferred.

0.3. Other cases. We may disclose your information also:

0.3.1. to our subsidiaries and affiliates;

0.3.2. to contractors, service providers, and other third parties we use to support our business;

0.3.3. to fulfill the purpose for which you provide it;

0.3.4. for the purpose of including your company's logo on our website;

0.3.5. for any other purpose disclosed by us when you provide the information;

0.3.6. with your consent in any other cases;

0.3.7. if we believe disclosure is necessary or appropriate to protect the rights, property, or safety of the Company, our customers, or others.

9. Security of Data

The security of your data is important to us but remember that no method of transmission over the Internet or method of electronic storage is 100% secure. While we strive to use commercially acceptable means to protect your Personal Data, we cannot guarantee its absolute security. Your Data Protection Rights Under General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). If you are a resident of the European Union (EU) and European Economic Area (EEA), you have certain data protection rights, covered by GDPR. We aim to take reasonable steps to allow you to correct, amend, delete, or limit the use of your Personal Data. If you wish to be informed what Personal Data we hold about you and if you want it to be removed from our systems, please email us at pr@wbsalt.com.

In certain circumstances, you have the following data protection rights:

0.1. the right to access, update or to delete the information we have on you;

0.2. the right of rectification. You have the right to have your information rectified if that information is inaccurate or incomplete;

0.3. the right to object. You have the right to object to our processing of your Personal Data;

0.4. the right of restriction. You have the right to request that we restrict the processing of your personal information;

0.5. the right to data portability. You have the right to be provided with a copy of your Personal Data in a structured, machine-readable and commonly used format;

0.6. the right to withdraw consent. You also have the right to withdraw your consent at any time where we rely on your consent to process your personal information;

Please note that we may ask you to verify your identity before responding to such requests. Please note, we may not able to provide Service without some necessary data. You have the right to complain to a Data Protection Authority about our collection and use of your Personal Data. For more information, please contact your local data protection authority in the European Economic Area (EEA).

10. Service Providers

We may employ third party companies and individuals to facilitate our Service (“Service Providers”), provide Service on our behalf, perform Service-related services or assist us in analysing how our Service is used. These third parties have access to your Personal Data only to perform these tasks on our behalf and are obligated not to disclose or use it for any other purpose.

11. Analytics

We may use third-party Service Providers to monitor and analyze the use of our Service.

12. Payments

We may provide paid products and/or services within Service. In that case, we use third-party services for payment processing (e.g. payment processors).

We will not store or collect your payment card details. That information is provided directly to our third-party payment processors whose use of your personal information is governed by their Privacy Policy. These payment processors adhere to the standards set by PCI-DSS as managed by the PCI Security Standards Council, which is a joint effort of brands like Visa, Mastercard, American Express and Discover. PCI-DSS requirements help ensure the secure handling of payment information.

13. Links to Other Sites

Our Service may contain links to other sites that are not operated by us. If you click a third party link, you will be directed to that third party's site. We strongly advise you to review the Privacy Policy of every site you visit. We have no control over and assume no responsibility for the content, privacy policies or practices of any third party sites or services.

14. Children's Privacy

Our Services are not intended for use by children under the age of 18 (“Child” or “Children”).

We do not knowingly collect personally identifiable information from Children under 18. If you become aware that a Child has provided us with Personal Data, please contact us. If we become aware that we have collected Personal Data from Children without verification of parental consent, we take steps to remove that information from our servers.

15. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update our Privacy Policy from time to time. We will notify you of any changes by posting the new Privacy Policy on this page. We will let you know via email and/or a prominent notice on our Service, prior to the change becoming effective and update “effective date” at the top of this Privacy Policy. You are advised to review this Privacy Policy periodically for any changes. Changes to this Privacy Policy are effective when they are posted on this page.

16. Contact Us

If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy, please contact us by email: info@wbsalt.com.