Wild Coast Exploration
Background on Seismic Surveys
Shell would like to survey a specific area within our exploration block offshore from the Wild Coast where we believe there may be potential hydrocarbon deposits beneath the seabed. To understand if there could be commercially viable resources, we need to build up an image of what the subsurface looks like in our targeted survey area. To image the subsurface, one must undertake a seismic survey. Data is collected from this survey on the subsurface and is processed and interpreted to try and find a specific location where there may be a prospective resource. South Africa has already had a number of similar surveys safely completed and planned for off our coastline.
Why Seismic surveys are safe to do
There has been a significant amount of research conducted globally on seismic surveys and their impact on the marine environment. The impacts are well understood and mitigated against when performing seismic surveys. Shell is adopting the most stringent mitigation measures for this survey, including a dedicated independent specialist team onboard who will monitor for the presence of marine animals and will suspend any survey noise output when a marine animal is found to enter the 800m exclusion zone around the sound source. Passive Acoustic Monitoring will also be conducted 24 hours a day and the survey is being conducted outside of the environmental window for migratory whales along the east coast.
Respecting Marine Protected Areas (MPA’s):
5 km buffer zones are implemented around the MPA’s. No surveying will be allowed in the MPA and buffer zones, only line turns (when sources are silent) will take place in the Amathole Offshore MPA on the south-west side of the survey area. Other MPAs in the Exploration Right are more than 5 km away from the survey area.
Marine Fauna Observers (MFOs) and Passive Acoustic Monitoring (PAM):
Mitigation measures include an exclusion zone of 800m around the sound source that is monitored by a dedicated specialist team for the presence of marine animals and will suspend any survey noise output when a whale/dolphin/turtle is within the 800m exclusion zone. Passive Acoustic Monitoring (PAM) is operated by dedicated PAM specialists 24 hours a day for the survey. The exclusion zone of 800m around the sound source ensures that no marine animals will come into the near vicinity of the sound source. If any marine mammal or turtle enters the exclusion zone (800m), operations are immediately shutdown. A pre-watch will also be conducted for at least 60 minutes to confirm there is no marine mammal or turtle within the exclusion zone before surveying can commence. A 60-minute pre-watch is also done before starting up the sound source and includes a ‘soft-start’ procedure, whereby the sound source is ramped up slowly to allow animals in the surrounding area to safely move away from the sound source.
Environmental Window Periods:
The survey is conducted outside of the sensitive environmental window period for migrating whales on the east coast of South Africa. This is a key temporal mitigation adopted to ensure seismic surveys are not conducted during peak migration periods or the annual sardine run.
Findings from the Environmental Management Program (EMPr) Marine Faunal Specialist Report:
A marine faunal specialist report was conducted as part of the EMPr assessment. Findings by the South African marine fauna specialist was that the impact would be of overall low significance – meaning that should the required mitigations be put in place the activity will be safe to do.
Current Court Process
Following the Constitutional Court’s decision to hear the NGO’s leave to appeal application in relation to the Wild Coast matter, Shell has been responding as directed by the Court ahead of the hearing. Shell now awaits the hearing and eventual outcome from the Constitutional Court.