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MAILBOX: Outrage fuelled by Shell’s seismic survey is irrational and insubstantially emotional

Shell no longer too long ago announced it has appointed Shearwater GeoServices to habits a 3-dimensional (3D) offshore seismic survey from Morgan Bay to Port St Johns, to design likely deposits of oil and gas below the seabed. The announcement, as anticipated, resulted in intense outrage and fuelled human beings’ intense be pleased for debate … and being offended. In Tuesday’s Each day Insider, BizNews founder Alec Hogg referred to a column within the Sunday Occasions – penned by an feeble pal of his, Peter Bruce – urging South Africans to boycott Shell. BizNews bought several responses to the newsletter. Curiously, a pair of of these were from community contributors who, no topic being staunch environmentalists, point out the hype round the Shell seismic survey is irrational and insubstantially emotional. As is damaged-down, BizNews published a fragment by Ivo Vegter on the present time that offers an different spy to that referred to in Hogg’s newsletter. – Nadya Swart

You might perhaps perhaps well likely strive in opposition to to search out a person extra enthusiastic about the ocean on your readership. I dwell in Ballito and I surf, scuba, spearfish and lope on the ocean as assuredly as I can. Furthermore, I totally be pleased the ‘Kei from Kei Mouth, thru Wavecrest, previous Kob Inn, the Haven, Bulungula to White Cliffs, Hole-in-the-Wall, Mdumbi, Umngazi, Mbotyi, Waterfall Bluff and Mtentu.    

In each put from BizNews to my paddling WhatsApp Community and the Insta surf pages I apply, I’m inundated by “F*ck Shell, set the Wild Wing”. Even my son’s tennis coach no longer too long ago asked me whether or no longer I would perchance be becoming a member of the protest march on the beach on Saturday morning… 

I’m in put of an agricultural firm the put we put ESG seriously, and the E of ESG is shut to my heart. In consequence, I know a part or two about ESG consultants and activists. I also know that they pick to head overboard and assuredly dwell with their heads in an egalitarian chickpea-eating utopia. I also know a part or two relating to the S in ESG; the explicit world and our communities the put other folks need meals, gas and training for his or her formative years and work to pay for this stuff. I which skill of this truth flee you to read Ivo Vegter’s fragment on the Wild Wing topic. He makes an account, overhead, barrelling point, bru!

By manner of the Shell topic, I pick to proceed emotion at dwelling and spy on the details. I absorb channelled my inner Prick Hudson and which skill of this truth I would perchance be taking a contrarian stance to my bloodthirsty vegan-picketing surfer brus. Unfortunately, my solution to my son’s tennis coach used to be: “No, I’m no longer a sheep. I interrogate the details and so have to you sooner than you jump on every trending bandwagon. Also, I absorb better things to construct with my time on Saturday mornings…” I would perchance be playing the much less-crowded surf while the ‘petition activists’ peacefully protest in futility with flat whites cum almond milk of their palms.

Kennett Sinclair


Hi Alec

I’m bowled over that your predominant anecdote the day prior to this used to be an uncritical acceptance of the media frenzy relating to the seismic survey 20 km off the Wild Wing. Your headline ‘Shell is able to unleash havoc’ is the form of wrong language no longer assuredly connected with guilty journalism. I absorb steadily read BizNews with the peace of mind that it is likely you’ll perhaps well submit every side of a debate, even at the same time as you don’t accept as true with one among them!

The video with selected photos and opinions items out to “repeat” that the seismic survey will murder all marine life along the survey dwelling. I in point of fact be pleased the Wild Wing nevertheless I pick to apply details sooner than emotion. I trust relating to the following observations are relevant to the sphere and, for me, immediate a extra rational overview of the direct.

  1. Seismic surveying of the seabed is no longer a brand contemporary skills.
  2. As some distance as I know, it used to be potentially the an identical methodology damaged-down off the South Wing a pair of years ago when the gas field used to be chanced on off Mossel Bay. It will appear that there used to be little everlasting damage to the marine ambiance. There has definitely been no outcry.
  3. Some 40 or 50 years ago, the North Sea bed used to be surveyed and the oil field chanced on and developed (by BP?). The enchancment resulted in many connected jobs in Aberdeen, as properly as a enormous saving in international substitute for the UK. I absorb heard of no complaints from Scottish fishermen or coastal dwellers.
  4. My knowledge of wild animals is that when their ambiance is panicked, they stagger away. They return when the direct has calmed again. Equally, when vegetation is panicked it adapts and if left undisturbed, will slowly revert to its previous enlighten.
  5. Shell has said that it suspends testing if enormous mammals equivalent to whales or dolphins stagger thru the survey dwelling. Perhaps.
  6. Such surveys have to be costly and have to even be conducted only by enormous companies be pleased Shell, BP or Texaco. Naturally, they, be pleased all enterprise, glance to fabricate a revenue. Because they’re enormous companies, the amount of revenue they generate is also enormous. I can spy no objection to this, see you later because the operations are exact.
  7. Lastly, the survey is some 20 km off the hover. It will potentially stagger neglected by the bulk of coastal residents and guests. If gas or oil used to be repeat in workable quantities, there would potentially be reasonably a elevate in connected enterprise and employment in East London.

Incidentally, I absorb steadily cherished the Wild Wing and absorb spent many pleased holidays there. The map I absorb made it is some distance going to be scorned by the emotive media and low things said about me, nevertheless please, let’s discuss it with details.

Dave Donkin


Here’s a balancing perspective to the one within the video you consult with in The Each day Insider of 23 November 2021: https://dailyfriend.co.za/2021/11/19/awe-over-seismic-surveys-off-the-wild-hover/ I construct assume, although, that a (contemporary?) EIA have to be performed because things absorb moved on – cases absorb modified – since 2013.

Regards

Peter Jerman


Sexy morning Alec

Ought to you drive to work, at the same time as you stagger away on holiday … be happy about fossil fuels. When Tesla guidelines supreme, the wokists, ESG investors and climate-crisis pointy sneakers can absorb made us so compliant that we are going to fortunately take a seat at dwelling for our annual leave braaing soya steaks and stagger to work on an electrical bus with our masks on and quadri vaccinated.

We might perhaps perhaps well well even take into accout the goal feeble days when things labored and the aim of life used to be a limitless horizon within the pursuit of  health, wealth and happiness.

Regards

Chris Fey

PS: In the goal feeble days, the lights being on didn’t rely on the wind blowing and the sun lustrous. And our body warmth didn’t rely on blankets and jerseys, nevertheless might perhaps perhaps well well rely on central heating. And scientific truth might perhaps perhaps well well be pursued and debated independently of the truth checkers. And the center class didn’t rely on meals parcels from Giant Brother.


Hi Alec

Are you aware that South Africa’s nationwide oil firm Soekor (later PetroSA) has been conducting these surveys the utilization of the explicit identical airgun arrays for better than 30 years covering your entire SA shoreline, gathering millions of linear kilometres of survey within the approach? Non-public we considered proof of the damage attributable to these surveys over the years? If anything be pleased what’s asserted within the video you shared, then our offshore areas would by now were wastelands.  I believe right here’s no longer the case….

Kind regards 

Willem de Meyer


All I can issue is: unleash havoc on nature and it WILL unleash havoc on us… So unhappy that man’s predominant focal point on life is GREED and disrespect! 

Louise Madgwick

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