CAPE TOWN, Dec 28 (Reuters) - A South African high court on
Tuesday blocked Shell from conducting seismic testing
offshore from South Africa's pristine Wild Coast, in the latest
ruling in a case seeking to prevent the oil major from exploring
for oil and gas.
On Dec. 3 a different high court order gave Shell the
go-ahead to conduct an extensive seismic survey off South
Africa's eastern coast, but this is stopped by Tuesday's ruling
that forms part of a broader court application contending Shell
did not have the necessary environmental approvals.
"We respect the court’s decision and have paused the survey
while we review the judgement," a Shell spokesperson said.
Environmentalists and others have protested against Shell's
plans for seismic blasting, saying its underwater acoustics are
harmful to marine animals, especially migrating whales.
"Shell must stop pending the resolution of our application
for a final interdict, which we are equally confident of," Johan
Lorenzen, one of the lawyers representing fishing communities
along the east coast told Reuters.
But, South Africa's energy minister has defended Shell's
plans, saying its critics want to deprive Africa of energy
resources.
Despite global efforts to reduce reliance on fossil fuels
and pressure from many governments and investors to limit the
carbon emissions that drive global warming, offshore South
Africa has seen a flurry of exploration activity and significant
discoveries.
South Africa, which is a net importer of petroleum products,
is eager to source feedstock for its state-run Mossel Bay
gas-to-liquid refinery that was operating at a fraction of its
output because of dwinding domestic gas supplies.
(Reporting by Wendell Roelf; editing by Barbara Lewis)
