The South African justice confirmed Thursday the prohibition for the giant of hydrocarbons Shell to carry out a seismic exploration off the tourist “Wild Coast” (east), reaffirming the unprecedented victory of the locals and environmentalists who denounced serious disturbances for the marine fauna.
The decision granting “a right of exploration (…) for oil and gas in the Transkei and Algoa exploration areas is reviewed and annulled”, the court in Makhanda (also called Grahamstown) in the Eastern Cape province ruled in a decision copied to AFP.
The courts had already stopped Shell in a ruling in December. It had then stressed that the Anglo-Dutch multinational had not fulfilled its obligation to consult the local population, which holds fishing rights and has a “special spiritual and cultural link with the ocean”.
The project was suspended “with immediate effect” and Shell sent its research vessel back out of South African waters in January. Open to the Indian Ocean, the “Wild Coast”, with its spectacular wild landscapes, extends over some 300 km and includes several nature reserves and marine protected areas.
It is in this preserved nature that Shell had decided to launch, on more than 6.000 km2, an exploration project involving a powerful shock wave every ten seconds in the ocean, to detect oil and gas deposits.
The South African government supported the project in particular because of the investment it represented. But environmental activists, fishermen and locals were vigorously opposed to it, seeing it as a serious threat to marine life.
“We respect the court’s decision and are reviewing the ruling to determine the next steps regarding the Wild Coast pan. We remain committed to South Africa and to a just energy transition,” a Shell spokesperson reacted when asked by AFP. The company reserves the right to appeal.
Offshore fossil fuel exploration uses seismic wave propagation analysis to determine the geological structure of soils that may contain hydrocarbons. The shock waves are sent by boats equipped with air cannons.
According to conservationists, most marine animals rely on their hearing and such detonations can disrupt their behavior, feeding as well as their migrations and reproductive cycles, especially for whales.
