Oil Free Otago are pleased to hear that Shell has decided to postpone drilling in the Great South Basin (GSB) this summer, one day after announcing it is pulling out of all drilling in the Arctic.

“Shell should relinquish their Great South Basin permit and pull out completely” said Oil Free Otago’s Rosemary Penwarden, “just like they are pulling out of all drilling in the Arctic.”

“Both the Arctic and the deep sea GSB are marginal frontier regions. Scientists tell us this marginal oil or gas is unburnable if we are to retain a liveable world of under two degrees of global warming.”

“That is why, no matter the price of oil, deep sea drilling in the southern ocean, like drilling in the Arctic, has no future. We want a liveable world and we will oppose Shell, Anadarko and the others every step of the way.”

Shell say their decision to retreat from the Arctic was due to a lack of oil, and that postponement of drilling in the GSB is because of the need for further geological interpretation of the basin.

“Shell say they need more time to evaluate the complex geology of the Great South Basin” said Ms Penwarden. “More likely, they need more time to figure out how on earth to satisfy their shareholders now that there is no future for deep sea drilling, let alone the planet, if marginal oil exploration continues.”