The Wild Coast is my favourite place on Earth, writes Cape {town} Etc’s Robyn Simpson and Shell is allegedly planning on blasting through the ocean and its life in search of oil and gas deposits from Morgan Bay to Port St Johns on December 1. This also happens to be whale migration season.
The notice for the project to begin was posted on November 2, as per Oceans Not Oil — the South African public’s voice against offshore oil and gas development.
The notice states that a vessel operated by Shell Exploration and Production SA’s hirelings, Shearwater GeoServices, will allegedly, for five-months, drag up to 48 air guns methodically through 6 011km² of ocean surface, firing extremely loud shock wave emissions that penetrate through 3km of water and 40km into the Earth’s crust below the seabed.
Whales aren’t the only wildlife in the firing line. Dolphins, seals, penguins, sharks and even crabs and tiny shellfish will be blasted.
“At a time when world leaders are making promises and decisions to step away from fossil fuels because climate science has shown we cannot burn our existing reserves (let alone drill for more), offshore oil and gas Operation Phakisa is pushing ever harder to get its hands on a local supply of gas. Shell must answer for how the harms done during this survey and any exploration drilling done hereafter are part of its energy transition plan to control global warming,” says Oceans Not Oil.
A petition to stop the blasting was released by Change.org and has since gone viral. From Durban to Cape Town, South Africans are livid.
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The land holds a sacred energy and the local communities are some of the most beautiful people I have ever met. In 2019, I trekked along beaches, through rolling hills and blood-red sands. I stayed with locals in traditional villages for three days along the way, eating pot-bread and falling in love with baby goats and herd dogs. It was the most profound experience of my life.
Just a year later, my cravings for the wild pulled me back to my vast oasis. Nguni cows, sunrise swims with dolphins, Yellow Tail braais and tavern chatter. The Wild Coast is ever-dear to my heart. As a destination, it’s nothing short of spiritual. Those who have visited might understand.
This is a developing story.
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Pictures: Oceans Not Oil