‘Monumental Victory for Planet’: South African Court Upholds Ban on Shell’s Seismic Exploration

South African environmental groups have repeatedly said “no” to Shell’s seismic surveys, which they said could harm animals in the ocean, including whales and dolphins, despite the company’s claims that the process doesn’t endanger marine life.

The high court in the South African city of Makhanda has confirmed a ban preventing the UK energy giant Shell from carrying out seismic wave exploration in search of of hydrocarbons off South Africa’s Indian Ocean coast.

The court ruled that the 2014 decision granting Shell the right for the “exploration of oil and gas in the Transkei and Algoa exploration areas is reviewed and set aside.”

A Shell spokesperson said that the company “respect[s] the court’s decision,” pledging to review the ruling in order to “determine” the firm’s “next steps.”

The spokesman declined to say whether Shell would appeal against the judgment, only stressing that the company remains “committed to South Africa” and the firm’s “role in the just energy transition.”

South Africa’s environmental and rights groups hailed the court’s decision, with the Green Connection organization saying in a statement that “civil society, traditional communities and small-scale (fishermen) have once again been vindicated by the courts.”

This was echoed by Pooven Moodly, activist from the Natural Justice group, who underscored that “this court victory shows that the fossil-fuel companies are required to follow the law, include all affected people in public participation processes, and consider all the harms to the environment.”

The media outlet Africa News in turn cited South African environmental activists as saying in a joint statement that the court’s ruling is “a monumental victory for the planet.”

The decision comes after the Makhanda court issued an interim order in December 2021 prohibiting Shell from going ahead with its plans for seismic testing in South Africa.

The Transkei and Algoa areas are part of the country’s so-­called "Wild Coast," which extends about 300 km (186 miles) along the Indian Ocean and has several natural reserves as well as marine protected areas.

According to environmental campaigners, Shell’s seismic exploration project stipulated sending powerful sound waves every ten seconds, 24 hours a day for five months, in an area of 6,000 sq km (2,300 sq miles) by boats equipped with air cannons.

The campaigners insist that the seismic testing has a major impact on marine species and disrupts their routines, while Shell lawyers argue that seismic surveys have been conducted for many years and no harm had been recorded.

They also argued that the government had taken all factors into account when initially granting Shell approval to conduct the surveys.