Court order halts Shell seismic blasting off Wild Coast, for now
The Grahamstown High Court in Makhanda has barred Shell from proceeding with its seismic blasting off the Wild Coast of the Eastern Cape.
Judge Gerald Bloem ruled this morning that Shell must halt its activities until the second part of an interdict is heard.
Several Wild Coast communities had lodged an urgent interdict against Shell's exploration and were joined by two civil society organisations working in the area.
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Judge Bloem agreed that expert evidence had established that the seismic surveying posed a real threat to marine life in the area.
The court has also ordered Shell and Mineral Resources and Energy Minister Gwede Mantashe to pay the applicant's legal costs.
