Eco protest against Shell hits home
Responding to the protests which has spread across the country, Shell said they have a long experience in collecting seismic data and the welfare of wildlife is a major factor in the stringent controls it uses as it strictly follows the international guidelines of the Joint Nature Conservation Committee.
WAVING banners and placards, Highway residents joined in on the protest action against Shell’s offshore exploration plan along the Wild Coast.
This follows Shell’s announcement that it will carry out a three-dimensional seismic survey in search of oil and gas deposits from Morgan Bay to Port St Johns. It is scheduled to begin on December 1.
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The announcement sparked outrage across the country and a petition campaign was launched to stop the survey. On Tuesday, November 23, more than 200 000 people had signed the petition.
A small group of environmentalists and residents gathered outside the Shell garage in Old Main Road, Hillcrest. Environmental activist, Kaz Wilson said the country needed to stand together to stop this.
“We are not against the people that work here, but against the proposed project. We have to be the voice for nature. We cannot let this happen to our heritage,” said Wilson.
Shell said they were aware of the petition and acknowledges the different views.
“At Shell, we respect the right of everyone to express their point of view. We only ask that they do so with their safety and the safety of others in mind. We can confirm we are operating within our legal right and have met all our obligations concerning the survey,” said Shell’s public relations officer, Pam Ntaka.
Responding to Highway Mail, Ntaka said the seismic acquisition is scheduled to start in December and will last for approximately four months.
“We are targeting a specific area (known as the survey area) within the Exploration License Area where they believe there may be potential oil or gas deposits beneath the surface of the ground. This is an exercise to collect data to help us understand if there is oil/gas or not. This is not a drilling exercise.”
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She explained that in order for Shell to provide the energy that the world needs today, Shell needed to ensure it has a strong project funnel and resilient future development opportunities.
“Shell is deeply committed to South Africa as an energy partner of choice and will continue to partner with government regarding our country’s Just Energy Transition,” said Ntaka.
When asked whether Shell has engaged with any of the affected communities of the environmental impact of the survey, Ntaka said a full stakeholder consultation process was undertaken as part of the development of the Environmental Management Programme (EMPr) for this project in 2013.
“An Environmental Compliance audit was undertaken in 2020 by independent specialists to confirm that the controls and mitigation measures outlined in the EMPr were still sufficient and valid. The audit report confirmed that these requirements were still sufficient and valid for this project to be taken forward. We can confirm we are operating within our legal right and we believe have met all our obligations concerning the survey,” she said.
Ntaka added that Shell has a long experience in collecting seismic data and the welfare of wildlife is a major factor in the stringent controls it uses as it strictly follows the international guidelines of the Joint Nature Conservation Committee.
“These are based on decades of global scientific research. We take great care to prevent or minimise impacts on fish, marine mammals and other wildlife,” added Ntaka.
Wilson urged the public to stop the seismic survey by signing a petition. To sign, visit https://chng.it/KnDZ8bHZ.
She also appealed to the public to join them on Sunday, November 28 on Old Main Road at 10:30.
“We will form a peace chain to stand up against this proposal,” she said.
Caxton Local Media Covid-19 reporting
