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22 February 2006
Shell will replace leaking pipelines in Durban
Milieudefensie (Envrionmental Protection) and NiZA are pleased with a 'victory for the locals'

Amsterdam 22 February 2006 – Milieudefensie and the Dutch Institute for Southern Africa are pleased with Shell’s announcement (and BP’s) that they will replace the ageing pipelines under the residential areas of Durban (South Africa). The company recently promised this undertaking during talks with NiZA's partner organisations South Durban Community Environmental Alliance (SDCEA) and groundWork (Friends of the Earth South Africa, a sister organisation of Milieudefensie).

'This is a victory for the local population in Durban and the international groups, who worked for years to get the pipelines replaced', stated the campaign leader Anne van Schaik of Milieudefensie. 'In the mean time it is still worrying, that we come across these practises time and time again. It still is not a matter of fact, that companies such as Shell apply the same standards abroad as they have to apply to in the Netherlands. NiZA and Milieudefensie call upon the Dutch government to make companies comply to the same rules internationally as they enforce nationally.'

Bobby Peek of the environmental and development organisation groundWork says: 'With this promise Shell takes a first step in the right direction. There is however still concern regarding the manner in which the pipelines will be replaced. Furthermore Shell must comply with the 'Pollution Reducing Plan' and end the great number of incidents and accidents still happening around the Shell plants in Durban.

In Durban, Shell, together with BP, owns an oil refinery named Sapref. This refinery is the biggest in southern Africa and causes many problems to its surroundings. More than 85 km of ageing pipelines run besides and under the residential areas and schools of Durban. The bad condition of the pipelines and careless actions during transfers of oil products resulted in several major leakages under residential areas and in and around the harbour of Durban. Incidents, which were harmful to the environment and caused safety and health problems.

The local community has been fighting for years to get the pipelines replaced. This resistance is part of a worldwide international coalition of local communities, who suffer from Shell activities. In 2003, Milieudefensie together with interest groups from South Africa, made a protest against the leaking pipelines during the annual shareholders meeting in the Netherlands. In 2005 Milieudefensie again demanded attention for the poor maintenance of the pipelines during Shell's annual meeting in Scheveningen.

For more information:
Dutch Institute for Southern Africa - Press Liaison Officer 0031 (0) 20 520 6210
www.niza.nl
Milieudefensie Press Liaison Officer 0031 (0)20 5507 333
www.milieudefensie.nl/globalisering