Oil company Shell is set to generate powerful seismic waves off the coast of South Africa, right in the middle of the whales' breeding season.
Searching for oil and natural gas deposits off the coast of South Africa, and doing so using so-called geoseismic surveys — that is, by generating violent underwater seismic waves. All of this right in the middle of the whales' breeding season. These are the plans of oil company Shell. Environmentalists, up in arms, are doing everything they can to stop it.
Wednesday 1 December was the day on which Shell's vessels were due to begin sailing for five consecutive months along the Wild Coast in South Africa, between Morgan Bay and Port St John. The first phase does not involve drilling but rather the so-called geoseismic surveys. This technique consists of creating seismic waves, similar to those produced by earthquakes, and then collecting their echo through underwater microphones. It is precisely from the characteristics of the echo that the features of the seabed can be reconstructed, identifying any potential underwater hydrocarbon reservoirs. In a last-minute attempt, however, four NGOs appealed to the courts to block the start of operations. The judge was expected to rule on Friday 3 December.
These explosions generate violent shockwaves that penetrate as far as the Earth's crust, producing a loud noise that travels for thousands of kilometres. Numerous scientific studies have documented serious damage to marine fauna: fish and mammals are forced to change habitat, suffer high levels of stress and develop hearing problems. Protocols to avert such consequences exist but, so far, have proved inadequate.
All of this is taking place in one of the world's most celebrated destinations for watching whales and dolphins. It is precisely between June and December that southern right whales (Eubalaena australis) and humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) migrate to South Africa to mate and raise their young, always following the same schedule — so much so that a festival is held in their honour every year in the town of Hermanus. Shell wants to begin operations on the very days when cetacean families start their return journey towards Antarctica. With all the dangers that entails.
It comes as no surprise, then, that the project — approved by the South African government in 2014 — has sparked heated controversy. "At a time when global leaders are making promises and taking decisions to move away from fossil fuels because climate science has shown that we cannot burn our existing reserves (let alone drill for more), Operation Phakisa offshore oil is pushing even harder to get its hands on a local gas deposit," reads a petition that has already gathered more than 380,000 signatures. "Shell must explain how the damage caused during this phase, and during any subsequent drilling, is consistent with its energy transition plan aimed at limiting global warming".
The oil company, in response, states that it "undertook a process of consultation with all stakeholders" in 2013. The impacts of geoseismic surveys, it assures, are "understood and mitigated" on the basis of "decades of scientific literature" and "internationally adopted guidelines".
