(3 minutes read)
- A South African court told Shell not to use seismic waves to explore for oil and gas in the Indian Ocean
- The decision is hailed as a landmark judgment by the environmentalists, who are worried about the impact of such explorations on whales and other species
- The High Court in the Eastern Cape town of Makhanda has given the verdict after hearing a petition filed by conservationists and local groups.
- Members of the court declared Shell was banned from “undertaking seismic survey operations”.
A South African court told Shell not to use seismic waves to explore for oil and gas in the Indian Ocean. The decision is hailed as a landmark judgment by the environmentalists, who are worried about the impact of such explorations on whales and other species.
The High Court in the Eastern Cape town of Makhanda has given the verdict after hearing a petition filed by conservationists and local groups. Members of the court declared Shell was banned from “undertaking seismic survey operations”. The decision had immediate effect.
Shell had planned to start exploration over more than 6,000 square kilometers of ocean lying off South Africa’s coast. The stretch is known as the Wild Coast and is dotted with marine life and is home to various species of marine life. The judge observed that consultations with coastal communities had been “substantially flawed”. This, he said, made Shell’s survey application “unlawful and invalid”. The decision brings to an end a long legal battle that saw protests gathering thousands of demonstrators on beaches around the country.
