Energy giant Shell withdraws vessel from South African coast after protests
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Met with vigorous protests against its activity, Royal Dutch Shell withdraws its vessel from the South African coast, seising its oil drilling exploration activities.
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People protest at the Waterfront in Cape Town on Sunday, 21 November 2021 against Shell’s plan to conduct seismic activities off Wild Coast, potentially harming wildlife (Photo: Victoria O’Regan)
A South African High Court ordered Royal Dutch Shell to stop its oil drilling operations in South Africa's Indian Ocean waters.
Shell, in response, has retrieved its vessel - the Amazon Warrior - which was deployed to explore oil and gas off the coast of South Africa following a court interdict, the company revealed on Friday.
The vessel, last month, which was deployed to the town of Makhanda, has now had its seismic survey operations put to a halt after environmentalists petitioned against the drilling, in fear of its impact on whales and other marine species.
The research, according to the campaigners, argued that the research will emit an "extremely" loud shock wave every 10 seconds, 24 hours a day for 5 months, which will potentially harm marine life, obstructing their feeding and reproductive habits.
A Shell spokesman told AFP that "as legal hearings about the survey are not yet completed and the weather window for conducting the work is limited, Shell has decided to terminate the current contract for the survey vessel early, in agreement with the contractor."
The spokesperson continued, "We are looking ahead to a resolution of the outstanding legal case and are considering the best way forward for the license in the longer term."
The company, notorious for its pollution, was met with fierce opposition from campaigners who were warning of potential harm to the whales, dolphins, and seals, which rely on hearing to survive. Birds, fish stocks, and microscopic plankton.
The vessel, which is 126 meters long, quit its operations on Tuesday and headed for the Spanish Canary Islands, according to the MarineTraffic website.
The vessel was bound to extract 3D seismic data of more than 6,000 square kilometers of ocean off the coast of the Wild Coast in South Africa, which is a strip filled with natural beauty and wildlife.
