Shell Plc’s South African partner has dismissed fears that seismic surveys for offshore oil and gas could endanger marine life and warned that halting searches could leave the country entirely dependent on crude imports. “Some people may believe the most important social contribution they can make is to inhibit oil exploration in South Africa, but their success will not end our demand for oil,” the company said. “It will simply leave us completely dependent on importing it at huge cost to our foreign reserves”. This, Bloomberg reports, after Shell temporarily halted its search for offshore oil and gas reserves and its vessel left South African waters after a court on Dec. 28 granted local activists an interim interdict blocking any seismic surveys until a ruling can be made on whether further environmental authorization is required.
