By Umamah Bakharia

Shell meant to be begin seismic surveying today this morning in the Wild Coast but no one can confirm if the mission has begun.

This is due to an urgent interdict to try to stop the seismic surveys along the Eastern Cape’s Wild Coast, an area renowned for its high marine biodiversity, that will be heard as growing protest against Shell and the damage this will cause to ocean life.

Almost 90-thousand people have signed a petition against the exploration.

Green Connection’s Community Outreach Coordinator, Neville van Rooy speaks to Radio Islam on the activist raising their voices against the seismic survey.

Green Connection’s Community Outreach Coordinator, Neville van Rooy

“Shell launched their submission in a time when environmental impact assessment was not actually required,” says van Rooy. He adds that Shell sneaked in to get the department to give them authorization.

However, the assessment was revised in 2014, it found that there is an environmental assessment needed.

Cullinan & Associates delivered a certificate of urgency to the Registrar on Monday to get an urgent interdict to stop Shell and Acting Judge Govindjee’s Directive, which saw the matter as urgent enough to stop the survey.

Accoridng to van Rooy, Shell at the time was granted this assessment at the time due complications of climate change and in marine life.

Shell’s seismic survey has been halted due to interdict

“We want them to turn down and suspend all the oil and gas activities in the ocean and they have refused to respond to the letters [addressed] to Shell, that is why we are following this route via SOR to see if we can get their attention because they are consulting for them [Shell],” says the Green Connection Coordinator.

The seismic survey is aimed at detecting oil and gas in the deep ocean. Every few hours a blast will go off into the ocean, injuring and possibly destroying marine life.

“Shell has a legacy of this destructive industry that has caused,” says van Rooy.

Green Connections is questioning why oil and gas is being used when safer options such as renewable energy can be used.