Sasol pushes for drilling near Bazaruto
● Sasol has confirmed its renewed ambition to explore and drill test wells in Mozambique’s richest fishing grounds, on the boundary of a prime tourist destination — Bazaruto Archipelago National Park.
Fringed by soft white beaches, coral reefs and clear blue waters, the islands of Bazaruto are a popular tropical getaway for South Africans and other tourists.
It is also one of the last areas in Africa where visitors have a good chance of seeing endangered dugongs, which were once a common sight in the shallow waters stretching from Somalia to southern Mozambique.
After being rebuffed a decade ago by Mozambican authorities because of the area’s environmental sensitivity, the energy and chemicals company recently initiated a new consultation process to conduct underwater sound-blasting and drilling.
According to a pre-feasibility and scoping study commissioned by Sasol and completed in June, the company’s Mozambique subsidiary was awarded offshore exploration and concession rights in 2005 for an area known as blocks 16 & 19. It conducted extensive 3D seismic tests in deep-water sections of this block.
However, due to the environmental sensitivity of exploration in shallow-water sections adjacent to the national park, exploration was suspended in 2008 until the Mozambican authorities published a strategic environmental assessment.
The new scoping study by Golder Associates notes that because this assessment has not been published yet, Sasol decided to “take the initiative” regarding renewed seismic exploration adjacent to Bazaruto.
Sasol says no shallow-water exploration has been done so far, but Golder has already appointed a project team of at least 26 consultants and held initial public consultation meetings to take into account and address concerns regarding future activities.
Sasol communication manager Alex Anderson says: “There are currently no contractual exploration commitments in the licence and no immediate plans to conduct seismic or exploration activities.
“Sasol, as an environmentally conscious company will do its best to protect the environment, including its marine life, and minimise any potential environmental impact. The specific actions to protect marine life will be informed and guided by the outcome of the environmental impact study.
“We undertake exploration activities according to international best-practice standards and in accordance with local laws, within the parameters set out by competent authorities … and engage in dialogue with stakeholders following locally determined norms, as well as recognised best practices.”
Golder says: “If hydrocarbon reserves are found to be economic, [Sasol’s] intention is to exploit these reserves to expand existing markets and to develop new markets in both Mozambique and Southern Africa.”
Several local stakeholders from the tourism, conservation and fisheries sectors have registered strong opposition to any Sasol exploration or future production in the Bazaruto area.
In a joint letter to Golder, they say no exploration should be allowed adjoining national parks, especially because the area contains several marine species that are vulnerable or on the edge of extinction.
These include dugongs, marine mammals with dolphin-like tails that gave rise to the legend of mermaids among ancient mariners.
Also known as “sea cows”, dugongs eat large volumes of sea grasses. They can live for 70 years, grow up to 3m long and weigh more than 500kg.
The Golder report acknowledges that Bazaruto Bay supports the largest remaining population in the western Indian Ocean.
Local conservation and tourism stakeholders note that Bazaruto has been declared a priority area for tourism investment, and nearby Sofala Bank is also Mozambique’s most important fishing ground.
Golder records that fish are the country’s second-largest export product.
Opponents of the Sasol venture — who include several local homeowners, tourism lodges, fishers, cruise and diving operators — fear that loud underwater seismic tests and test drilling to depths of nearly 2km in shallow coastal water will pose unacceptable risks to the marine environment, and potential harm to the fisheries industry.
In their submission to Golder, a group of seven stakeholders say that because seismic sound waves can travel hundreds of kilometres, exploration could harm countless marine mammals such as dugongs, dolphins and whales. Seismic tests, generating blasts of up to 260 decibels, have been shown to produce permanent or temporary hearing loss in several species.