Climatechangenews.com
Judgment has been reserved in the Grahamstown High Court in the case against Shell, to stop it from conducting seismic explorations for oil and gas off the Eastern Cape Wild Coast.
Judge Gerald Bloem has considered a second urgent interdict brought to stop the Dutch oil giant from using airguns to conduct the tests over several months.
While acknowledging the urgency of the matter, the Judge adjourned the seven-hour-long hearing on Friday after arguments were concluded, reserving his judgment until further notice.
The applications were brought on behalf of several communities along the Wild Coast, while an earlier application was lodged by various angling and ski boat associations.
The parties argued that Shell did not have the necessary environmental authorization in the terms of the National Environmental Management Act.
Shell has maintained that it had complied with all regulations after exploration rights were granted in 2014 - and denied that seismic testing using airguns would harm marine life.
