Algoa Bay in Port Elizabeth is home to the world’s largest breeding colony of African penguins. It’s also where hundreds of ships refuel at South Africa’s first offshore bunkering operation.
Besides penguins, bottlenose dolphins, southern right and humpback whales, a number of seabird species, fish and coral reefs also call the are home.
Many fear the risks of an oil spill or other interference with marine life are too great.
Conservationists fear the bunkering’s close proximity to the biodiversity hotspot puts the marine animals in the area at risk of many dangers, according to Jakarta Post.
The main storage tanker in Algoa Bay is able to hold 100,000 metric tons of fuel, posing the risk of an ecological disaster should an oil spill happen, as did in Mauritius.
Read: Oil spill off Mauritius south coast
Scientists are also researching the effect of noise, pollution and increased ship traffic on the marine animals. Some are worried that the vibrations caused by the activity may drive away animals that rely on sonar to hunt fish.
‘This is too close to the Marine Protected Area, there are too many risks involved…,’ warned environmental scientist Ronelle Friend, of the Algoa Bay Conservation community group, calling for an end to bunkering in the bay according to Jakarta Post.
Image credit: Unsplash
