Shell’s Seismic Tests Through Whale Breeding Grounds Halted by South African Court
The oil giant’s controversial project drew criticism and legal opposition from Indigenous communities and conservation groups.
Shell will be forced to suspend plans to search for oil off South Africa’s eastern coastline after a court ordered the project to be halted while waiting for a final ruling.
The Dutch oil giant must immediately halt its seismic tests, which involved blasting shockwaves through more than 2,000 square miles of water off the relatively untouched Wild Coast - a vital whale breeding ground - in the search for oil and gas.
Lawyers for the groups provided more evidence that the seismic survey would harm marine life and successfully argued that Shell failed to properly consult with the communities that would be affected by the tests.
The decision comes after a separate legal attempt brought by groups failed to stop the oil giant’s plans.
The controversial project had drawn criticism and legal opposition from Indigenous communities that said their cultural, spiritual, or heritage issues relating to the ocean had not been respected, despite both the sea and its sand being held in reverence by different communities along the coast.
“The voices of the voiceless have been heard,” said Sinegugu Zukulu, a senior campaigner for Sustaining the Wild Coast. “The voices of the directly affected people have at last been heard, and the constitutional rights of indigenous people have been upheld.”
Conservation groups, including Greenpeace, also fought against the tests, arguing that many sea creatures - including whales, dolphins, and seals - would be irreparably harmed by the seismic testing. Campaigners were particularly concerned about southern right whales and humpback whales, who migrate into South African waters to give birth during the austral winter from July to December.
“The case is not just about Shell — it is about both protecting human rights and animal rights which are both enshrined in the constitution,” Nonhle Mbuthuma, founder of the Amadiba Crisis Committee (ACC), said in a statement in response to the December 28 ruling.
In its response to the court’s ruling, Shell said: "We respect the court's decision and have paused the survey while we review the judgment."
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