Two Appeals dismissed – Decision efficiency or lack of environmental oversight

The Minister of the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment issued his decision on objections raised on two Environmental Authorisations issued by the Department of Mineral and Petroleum Resources.

The decisions were on 1) the Block 3B/4B offshore exploration activities by Africa Oil SA Corp, Ricocure (Pty) Ltd and Azinam Ltd for the , and 2) Searcher Geodata UK Limited on 3D seismic surveys, both due to take place on the the West coast. Despite 47 objections to the exploration authorisation and 9 objections to the seismic surveys, the Minister dismissed all objections.

In both decisions, the Minister included additional conditions, in which the companies are required to establish and maintain an accessible Fisheries Claims Assistance Mechanism to assist commercial, small-scale and subsistence fishers with verified loss claims, supported by clear claims procedures, reasonable evidence requirements and timelines, independent dispute resolution, ongoing socio-economic monitoring and quarterly stakeholder engagement.

The two detailed Decisions (Block 3B/4B – Exploration, and Searcher – Seismic Surveys); are available for download below: