TGS Geophysical Company West Coast Seismic Survey

This fact sheet outlines a legal challenge brought by Aukotowa Fisheries Primary Co-operative, The Green Connection, and Natural Justice against the South African state and TGS Geophysical Company. The applicants are seeking to set aside the environmental authorisation for a three-dimensional (3D) seismic survey off the West Coast of South Africa, arguing that the decision was unlawful, ignored climate commitments, and threatened the livelihoods of small-scale fishers.

• The applicants argue that the environmental authorisation for the 3D seismic survey was unlawful because the Director-General of the Department of Mineral and Petroleum Resources lacked the proper delegated authority from the Minister to grant it.
• The proposed seismic survey, which uses airguns to map the seabed for oil and gas, poses significant risks to marine life and the livelihoods of small-scale fishers between St Helena Bay and Hondeklip Bay. Concerns include physical injury to whales and dolphins, flawed noise impact science, and the creation of exclusion zones that could cut off fishers from their primary means of livelihood.
• The legal challenge asserts that the government failed to consider climate change implications and national carbon budgets, making the project inconsistent with the Paris Agreement's goal of limiting temperature increases to 1.5 degrees Celsius.
• The applicants claim the economic justification for the survey was one-sided and failed to account for transition risks or the possibility of stranded assets in a decarbonising global market.
• The state is accused of ignoring the National Environmental Management: Integrated Coastal Management Act, failing its role as public trustee by not managing the coastline as a shared resource for all citizens.

APA

Natural Justice (n.d.). TGS Geophysical Company West Coast Seismic Survey. https://naturaljustice.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/ENG_Factsheet_TGS_Court-Case-FINAL.pdf

Chicago

Natural Justice. TGS Geophysical Company West Coast Seismic Survey. n.d. https://naturaljustice.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/ENG_Factsheet_TGS_Court-Case-FINAL.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Natural Justice |title=TGS Geophysical Company West Coast Seismic Survey |url=https://naturaljustice.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/ENG_Factsheet_TGS_Court-Case-FINAL.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{naturaljusticendtgs, author = {{Natural Justice}}, title = {{TGS Geophysical Company West Coast Seismic Survey}}, institution = {Natural Justice}, url = {https://naturaljustice.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/ENG_Factsheet_TGS_Court-Case-FINAL.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }