Shell responds to ongoing protest action, explains seismic survey
Several protests have been organised in Durban opposing the seismic survey.
DESPITE ongoing protests and legal action, Shell’s seismic survey will go ahead. Pam Ntaka, the public relations officer for the oil conglomerate, said four organisations filed a legal challenge against the seismic survey.
“On December 3, 2021, the court dismissed the application, therefore allowing the seismic survey to proceed. Subsequent to the judge’s ruling, the Ministry of Minerals and Energy have, at the highest levels, reaffirmed their full support for Shell proceeding with the offshore survey,” said Ntaka.
Also read: Urgent interdict to stop Shell’s seismic survey dismissed
Protestors took to the Durban promenade on Saturday, December 13 to highlight the risks of oil and gas exploration.
They marched from Suncoast Beach to Lower Marine Parade, toting posters opposing the seismic survey along the Wild Coast. This follows a spate of protests on the topic, including a march from King Dinizulu Park to Durban City Hall on November 29. Saturday’s protest was organised by the South Durban Community Environmental Alliance (SDCEA) and the KZN Subsistence Fisher Folk Forum (KZNSFF).
In a statemeent, SDCEA said, “As citizens of this country, we want to send a message to big corporations like Shell to stop promoting fossil fuels and oil and gas exploration. Offshore oil and gas drilling has the potential to destroy our beautiful ocean heritage as well as negatively impact the livelihoods of millions of people who depend on the ocean for a living, like the fisher folk, tourism, the recreational industry and also those who enjoy the beach for their health.”
Shell explains the process
Ntaka said Shell’s survey is targeting a specific area where they believe there may be potential hydrocarbon deposits beneath the seabed.
Also read: WATCH: Durbanites protest Shell’s Wild Coast seismic surveys
“To understand if there could be viable resources, we need to build up an image of what the subsurface looks like in our targeted survey area. Seismic waves are emitted from a sound source at the back of a seismic vessel and sent below ground. As the sound waves move through the various geological formations, part of the energy is transmitted down to deeper layers, while the remainder is reflected back up to the surface. The reflected waves are picked up by a series of sensitive receivers. The seismic data is then analysed to identify whether there are potential hydrocarbons. South Africa has already had many similar offshore surveys safely completed,” said Ntaka.
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