Appendix B-2

I&AP Correspondence

Initial Notification

13 December 2013 ERM Ref: 0226484 Dear Stakeholder Proposed Oil and Gas Exploration Activities in the Deepwater Durban Exploration Area ExxonMobil Exploration and Production South Africa Limited (EMEPSAL) has submitted an application for an Exploration Right with the Petroleum Agency of South Africa (PASA) to explore for oil and gas reserves in the Deepwater Durban Exploration Area offshore of the East Coast of South Africa. In terms of Section 79 of the Mineral and Petroleum Resources Development Act (MPRDA), an Environmental Management Programme (EMPr) covering the proposed activities must be prepared and submitted to PASA for consideration and for approval by the Minister of Mineral Resources. The EMPr will evaluate the potential environmental and social impacts of the proposed activities and provide mitigation and management measures to help avoid and reduce negative effects. Environmental Resources Management Southern Africa (Pty) Ltd (ERM) has been appointed to assist EMEPSAL in preparing the EMPr. As part of the process, input and comment on the proposed activities is being solicited from stakeholders and the general public. For more information please find attached a copy of the Background Information Document (BID). Yours sincerely

Tougheeda Aspeling Stakeholder Engagement Consultant

From: Tougheeda Aspeling on behalf of ERM Southern Africa Project Deep WaterTo: Tougheeda AspelingBcc: "nngcaba@environment.gov.za"; "dg@daff.gov.za"; "dodg@daff.gov.za"; "jgeeringh@environment.gov.za";

"JohannAU@daff.gov.za"; "JanetC@nda.agric.za"; "DeonD@daff.gov.za"; "kimp@daff.gov.za";"muzi.mhkize@energy.gov.za"; "ajboyd@environment.gov.za"; "andrew@daff.gov.za";"mgordon@environment.gov.za"; "lhutchin@deat.gov.za"; "Mmeyer@environment.gov.za";"lmudau2@environment.gov.za"; "romar@environment.gov.za"; "oosthuiz@environment.gov.za";"pa.enviro@kzndae.gov.za"; "thengwac@durban.gov.za"; "myezas@kznded.gov.za";"Haroon.Karodia@kzndae.gov.za"; "delriciaa@daff.gov.za"; "MphakamisiF@daff.gov.za";"VeronicaM@daff.gov.za"; "ZimbiniG@daff.gov.za"; "thanduxolo5@gmail.com";"mqedlana@kznded.gov.za"; "mthembus@kznded.gov.za"; "nonhlanhla.qhobosheane@kzncogta.gov.za";"sizokele.phobila@deaet.ecape.gov.za"; "Stanley.khanyile@dhlgta.ecape.gov.za";"fguleni@psjmunicipality.gov.za"; "mshiywa.feziwe30@gmail.com"; "mm@hcm.gov.za";"DD.Naidoo@ugu.gov.za"; "shivanim@umdoni.gov.za"; "sibekonj@richemp.org.za";"peron.amein@durban.gov.za"; "odonoghues@durban.gov.za"; "dovec@durban.gov.za";"rowan.t@webmail.co.za"; "zandisilet@buffalocity.gov.za"; "bongumusa.mkhize@durban.gov.za";"musa.mkhize@yahoo.com"; "obed.qulo@gmail.com"; "jduncan@wwf.org.za"; "spetersen@wwf.org.za";"Faisal.Sultan@transnet.net"; "Brynn.Adamson@transnet.net"; "ricky.bhikraj@transnet.net";"rufus.lekala@transnet.net"; "VTS.CONTROL@transnet.net"; "dennis.mqadi@transnet.net";"thami.ntshingila@transnet.net"; "aradhana.dasarath@transnet.net"; "jenny@wessakzn.org.za";"desmond@sdceango.co.za"; "bongani@sdceango.co.za"; "sberry@wc.sahra.org.za";"nnoble@samsa.org.za"; "mrcc.ct@samsa.org.za"; "DBurgess@samsa.org.za"; "dmanley@samsa.org.za";"mbrkovic@samsa.org.za"; "wlobo@samsa.org.za"; "k.sink@sanbi.org.za"; "hydrosan@iafrica.com";"hydrosan@iafrica.com"; "hydrosan@iafrica.com"; "khosi.zondi@transnet.net";"vuyo.keswa2@transnet.net"; "ori@saambr.org.za"; "jessica@saambr.org.za"; "bruce@windlands.co.za";"malpha@shark.co.za"; "themba.mkhize@transnet.net"; "thembi@isimangaliso.com";"lindy@isimangaliso.com"; "thembi@isimangaliso.com"; "bachoos@kznwildlife.com";"andyb@kznwildlife.com"; "cedricc@kznwildlife.com"; "greenk@kznwildlife.com";"livingst@kznwildlife.com"; "nairg@kznwildlife.com"; "thambud@kznwildlife.com";"bluggyachtclub@xsinet.co.za"; "jappy@iafrica.com"; "cdswhale@worldonline.co.za";"afromatz@telkkomsa.net"; "shaunb@premfish.co.za"; "johanp@premfish.co.za";"durbanshore@vikingfishing.co.za"; "Walterb@seaharvest.co.za"; "wayne.marzul@iafrica.com";"new@wallem.com"; "don@comfish.co.za"; "comfish@mweb.co.za"; "safish@new.co.za";"fani@sapia.co.za"; "sasmia@webec.co.za"; "sasmia@webec.co.za"; "rball@iafrica.com";"sata@mweb.co.za"; "cattwood@mweb.co.za"; "ladymfishing@telkomsa.net"; "craig@hdpbrokers.co.za";"admin@sadsaa.com"; "mjvermaak@worldonline.co.za"; "deepsea@iafrica.com"; "harveya@telkomsa.net";"alexander@alexandercox.co.za"; "offshore@mweb.co.za"; "gd@goswell.co.za"; "agency@jmss.co.za";"kgfishing@mweb.co.za"; "ftea@telkomsa.net"; "longline@mweb.co.za"; "priscauys@yahoo.com";"judianbruk@telkomsa.net"; "hans@bigcatch.co.za"; "rob@bigfish.co.za"; "chris@africantuna.com";"andrew@kaytrad.co.za"; "dyer@mjvn.co.za"; "angie@vikingfishing.co.za"; "craig@vikingfishing.co.za";"dan@new.co.za"; "Dino@talhado.co.za"; "gduplessis@pioneerfishing.co.za"; "cttopsradio@ij.co.za";"lshaer@lusitaniafishing.co.za"; "lynweth@polka.co.za"; "sceptre@isat.co.za"; "petesims@mweb.co.za";"ReneC@ij.co.za"; "rob@kzntuna.com"; "rory@vikingfishing.co.za"; "salome@lft.co.za";"sandile@eyethufishing.co.za"; "mekwel@petroleumagencysa.com"; "motloungt@petroleumagencysa.com";"ngesip@petroleumagencysa.com"; "vanderspuyd@petroleumagencysa.com";"siphiwe.msipho@petrosa.co.za"; "apulfrich@pisces.co.za"; "mwdapg@mweb.co.za"; "glassom@ukzn.za";"giles.churchill@acerafrica.co.za"; "siziwe@groundwork.org.za"; "m.doherty@impactoilandgas.co.uk";"s.ilett@impactoilandgas.co.uk"; "s.lunn@impactoilandgas.co.za"; "kenfin@mweb.co.za";"alison.futter@petrosa.co.za"; "editor@sailing.co.za"; "marta.henriques@sasol.com";"liesl.marriott@sasol.com"; "Eugene.okpere@sasol.com"; "Kllee824@yahoo.com.sg";"crramsden@gmail.com"; "mxiphu@offshoreafrica.co.za"; "ashleigh.mckenzie@acerafrica.co.za";"richard@westenpondolandtrust.co.za"; "steward@nctasa.co.za"

Subject: Proposed Oil and Gas Exploration Activities in the Deepwater Durban Exploration AreaDate: 12 December 2013 11:51:00 AMAttachments: Deepwater Durban BID Dec 2013.pdf

image001.png

ERM Ref: 0226484 Dear Stakeholder ExxonMobil Exploration and Production South Africa Limited (EMEPSAL) has submitted anapplication for an Exploration Right with the Petroleum Agency of South Africa (PASA) to explorefor oil and gas reserves in the Deepwater Durban Exploration Area offshore of the East Coast ofSouth Africa. In terms of Section 79 of the Mineral and Petroleum Resources Development Act (MPRDA), anEnvironmental Management Programme (EMPr) covering the proposed activities must beprepared and submitted to PASA for consideration and for approval by the Minister of MineralResources. The EMPr will evaluate the potential environmental and social impacts of the

proposed activities and provide mitigation and management measures to help avoid and reducenegative effects. Environmental Resources Management Southern Africa (Pty) Ltd (ERM) has been appointed toassist EMEPSAL in preparing the EMPr. As part of the process, input and comment on theproposed activities is being solicited from stakeholders and the general public. For more information please find attached a copy of the Background Information Document(BID). Yours sincerely Tougheeda Aspeling Stakeholder Engagement Consultant

ERM Southern Africa (Pty) Ltd2nd Floor | Great Westerford | 240 Main Road | Rondebosch | 7700 | Cape Town | South AfricaT +27 21 681 5400 | F 021 686 0736 | E | deepwaterdurban@erm.com W www.erm.com/deepwaterdurbanEMPR

The world’s leading sustainability consultancy

1

Claire Alborough

From: Claire AlboroughSent: 09 January 2014 11:34 AMTo: 'Richard@rmcec.co.za'Cc: Tougheeda AspelingSubject: FW: Proposed Oil and Gas Exploration Activities in the Deepwater Durban Exploration

AreaAttachments: DWD BID Final 11122013.pdf

ERM Ref: 0226484

Dear Richard

Compliments of the season! I am working on an EMPr for a new exploration project for EMEPSAL offshore of the

East Coast of South Africa. The Exploration Area is located far offshore and there is a small portion that falls within

the Eastern Cape province with the majority within KwaZulu Natal. However I wanted to let you know about the

project and have registered you as a stakeholder. We sent out a notification late last year but yours came back

undeliverable and I see now that it was due to an incorrect email address so I thought I would resend to this

address. Please see below text as sent out to stakeholders during December and the Background Information

Document attached. Please don't hesitate to contact me should you have any comments or queries.

'ExxonMobil Exploration and Production South Africa Limited (EMEPSAL) has submitted an application for an

Exploration Right with the Petroleum Agency of South Africa (PASA) to explore for oil and gas reserves in the

Deepwater Durban Exploration Area offshore of the East Coast of South Africa.

In terms of Section 79 of the Mineral and Petroleum Resources Development Act (MPRDA), an Environmental

Management Programme (EMPr) covering the proposed activities must be prepared and submitted to PASA for

consideration and for approval by the Minister of Mineral Resources. The EMPr will evaluate the potential

environmental and social impacts of the proposed activities and provide mitigation and management measures to

help avoid and reduce negative effects.

Environmental Resources Management Southern Africa (Pty) Ltd (ERM) has been appointed to assist EMEPSAL in

preparing the EMPr. As part of the process, input and comment on the proposed activities is being solicited from

stakeholders and the general public.

For more information please find attached a copy of the Background Information Document (BID).'

Kind Regards Claire Alborough Senior Consultant

ERM Southern Africa (Pty) Ltd 2

nd Floor | Great Westerford | 240 Main Road | Rondebosch | 7700 | Cape Town | South Africa

T +27 21 681 5400 | F +27 21 686 0736 | M +27 72 119 8244 E claire.alborough@erm.com | W www.erm.com

The world’s leading sustainability consultancy

1

Claire Alborough

From: Claire AlboroughSent: 06 January 2014 02:34 PMTo: Paul Martin (pmartin@axxess.co.za)Subject: Proposed Oil and Gas Exploration Activities in the Deepwater Durban Exploration AreaAttachments: DWD BID Final 11122013.pdf

ERM Ref: 0226484

Dear Paul

As requested in a previous email, I have registered you as a stakeholder for one of our new projects offshore of the

East Coast of South Africa. Please see below text as sent out to stakeholders during December.

ExxonMobil Exploration and Production South Africa Limited (EMEPSAL) has submitted an application for an

Exploration Right with the Petroleum Agency of South Africa (PASA) to explore for oil and gas reserves in the

Deepwater Durban Exploration Area offshore of the East Coast of South Africa.

In terms of Section 79 of the Mineral and Petroleum Resources Development Act (MPRDA), an Environmental

Management Programme (EMPr) covering the proposed activities must be prepared and submitted to PASA for

consideration and for approval by the Minister of Mineral Resources. The EMPr will evaluate the potential

environmental and social impacts of the proposed activities and provide mitigation and management measures to

help avoid and reduce negative effects.

Environmental Resources Management Southern Africa (Pty) Ltd (ERM) has been appointed to assist EMEPSAL in

preparing the EMPr. As part of the process, input and comment on the proposed activities is being solicited from

stakeholders and the general public.

For more information please find attached a copy of the Background Information Document (BID).

Kind Regards Claire Alborough Senior Consultant

ERM Southern Africa (Pty) Ltd 2

nd Floor | Great Westerford | 240 Main Road | Rondebosch | 7700 | Cape Town | South Africa

T +27 21 681 5400 | F +27 21 686 0736 | M +27 72 119 8244 E claire.alborough@erm.com | W www.erm.com

The world’s leading sustainability consultancy

1

Claire Alborough

From: Claire AlboroughSent: 07 January 2014 02:24 PMTo: Gerry.pienaar@deaet.ecape.gov.za; Asanda.Sontsele@ecpta.co.zaSubject: Proposed Oil and Gas Exploration Activities in the Deepwater Durban Exploration AreaAttachments: DWD BID Final 11122013.pdf

ERM Ref: 0226484

Dear Asanda and Gerry

Compliments of the season! I am working on an EMPr for a new exploration project for ExxonMobil offshore of

South Africa. There is a small portion of the block that falls within the Eastern Cape province with the majority

within KwaZulu Natal, as such I wanted to let you know about the project and have registered you both

as stakeholders. We did include others from your departments on the database but we had some returned

undeliverable and I noted that neither of you were included. Please see below text as sent out to stakeholders

during December and the Background Information Document attached. Please do forward along to any other

interested parties and don't hesitate to contact me should you have any comments or queries.

'ExxonMobil Exploration and Production South Africa Limited (EMEPSAL) has submitted an application for an

Exploration Right with the Petroleum Agency of South Africa (PASA) to explore for oil and gas reserves in the

Deepwater Durban Exploration Area offshore of the East Coast of South Africa.

In terms of Section 79 of the Mineral and Petroleum Resources Development Act (MPRDA), an Environmental

Management Programme (EMPr) covering the proposed activities must be prepared and submitted to PASA for

consideration and for approval by the Minister of Mineral Resources. The EMPr will evaluate the potential

environmental and social impacts of the proposed activities and provide mitigation and management measures to

help avoid and reduce negative effects.

Environmental Resources Management Southern Africa (Pty) Ltd (ERM) has been appointed to assist EMEPSAL in

preparing the EMPr. As part of the process, input and comment on the proposed activities is being solicited from

stakeholders and the general public.

For more information please find attached a copy of the Background Information Document (BID).'

Kind Regards Claire Alborough Senior Consultant

ERM Southern Africa (Pty) Ltd 2

nd Floor | Great Westerford | 240 Main Road | Rondebosch | 7700 | Cape Town | South Africa

T +27 21 681 5400 | F +27 21 686 0736 | M +27 72 119 8244 E claire.alborough@erm.com | W www.erm.com

The world’s leading sustainability consultancy

1

Claire Alborough

From: Claire AlboroughSent: 09 January 2014 11:43 AMTo: Claire AlboroughCc: Tougheeda AspelingSubject: FW: Proposed Oil and Gas Exploration Activities in the Deepwater Durban Exploration

AreaAttachments: DWD BID Final 11122013.pdf

Bcc: 'goldingd@kznded.gov.za'; 'lawrence.musisi@agr.ecprov.gov.za'; 'Alistair.McMaster@deaet.ecape.gov.za'; 'Bulumko.nelana@deaet.ecape.gov.za'; 'Albert.mfenyana@deaet.ecape.gov.za'; 'andries.struwig@deaet.ecape.gov.za'; 'hodpa@kzndae.gov.za'; 'queen.kanyile@kzndae.gov.za'

ERM Ref: 0226484

Dear Stakeholders

ExxonMobil Exploration and Production South Africa Limited (EMEPSAL) has submitted an application for an

Exploration Right with the Petroleum Agency of South Africa (PASA) to explore for oil and gas reserves in the

Deepwater Durban Exploration Area offshore of the East Coast of South Africa.

In terms of Section 79 of the Mineral and Petroleum Resources Development Act (MPRDA), an Environmental

Management Programme (EMPr) covering the proposed activities must be prepared and submitted to PASA for

consideration and for approval by the Minister of Mineral Resources. The EMPr will evaluate the potential

environmental and social impacts of the proposed activities and provide mitigation and management measures to

help avoid and reduce negative effects.

Environmental Resources Management Southern Africa (Pty) Ltd (ERM) has been appointed to assist EMEPSAL in

preparing the EMPr. As part of the process, input and comment on the proposed activities is being solicited from

stakeholders and the general public.

For more information please find attached a copy of the Background Information Document (BID).

Kind Regards Claire Alborough Senior Consultant

ERM Southern Africa (Pty) Ltd 2

nd Floor | Great Westerford | 240 Main Road | Rondebosch | 7700 | Cape Town | South Africa

T +27 21 681 5400 | F +27 21 686 0736 | M +27 72 119 8244 E claire.alborough@erm.com | W www.erm.com

The world’s leading sustainability consultancy

Initial Correspondence

1

Claire Alborough

From: Claire AlboroughSent: 16 January 2014 10:00 AMTo: 'Paul Martin'; Tougheeda AspelingSubject: RE: Proposed Oil and Gas Exploration Activities in the Deepwater Durban Exploration

Area

Hi Paul

Thank you for your interest in this project. You have been registered as an Interested and Affected Party (I&AP) and

as such you will receive all further relevant notifications regarding the proposed Deepwater Durban Project. Thank

you for your comments we will respond to them in the draft Environmental Management Programme (EMPr) and

Comments and Responses Report which will be released for public comment during February 2014.

Kind regards

Claire Alborough Consultant T: +27 21 681 5400

F: +27 21 686 0736

C: +27 (0)72 119 8244 Email: Claire.Alborough@erm.com

From: Paul Martin [mailto:pmartin@axxess.co.za]

Sent: Sunday, January 12, 2014 10:19 AM

To: Tougheeda Aspeling; Claire Alborough Subject: Re: Proposed Oil and Gas Exploration Activities in the Deepwater Durban Exploration Area

Claire / Tougheeda, Please register me as an I&AP for this project and any other coastal projects along the south & east coast that ERM is involved with (e.g. March 2013 Transkei coast project). The comments below apply to both the Transkei Coast & Durban Deep projects. Although little is known of marine mammal migration in the deepwater areas, I would request that care is taken in determining the "safe period" for seismic surveys to ensure that these avoid known periods of high activity (e.g. whale and sardine run periods). The timing will vary from area to area. This is in the light of the failure by ERM to correctly identify the Humpback Whale migration season off of Algoa Bay, despite I&AP input, resulting in seismic surveys being undertaken off Algoa Bay during December 2013. Please keep all I&APs registered for the duration of the project - we should not need to re-register if there is an amendment or add-on project. Please ensure applicants adhere to the 30 day notice period to all I&APs of the start of seismic surveys & advertisments in newspapers, as per the EMPr Please ensure that up to date EMPr s remain available on the website for the duration of the project (i.e. the license period) I would like to request that I&APs are notified of, and given an opportunity to receive, the copy of the authorization (Exploration Right) issued by PASA. This is the norm in EIA processes where the Environmental Authorisation is made available to I&APs. Obviously any financial matters / commercial details can be excluded from the copy provided to I&APs.

2

Many Thanks Dr Paul Martin PO Box 61029 Bluewater Bay 6212 Tel: 041 4665698 Cell: 0732524111 email: pmartin@axxess.co.za

----- Original Message ----- From: Claire Alborough To: Paul Martin (pmartin@axxess.co.za) Sent: Monday, January 06, 2014 2:33 PM Subject: Proposed Oil and Gas Exploration Activities in the Deepwater Durban Exploration Area

ERM Ref: 0226484

Dear Paul

As requested in a previous email, I have registered you as a stakeholder for one of our new projects offshore of the

East Coast of South Africa. Please see below text as sent out to stakeholders during December.

ExxonMobil Exploration and Production South Africa Limited (EMEPSAL) has submitted an application for an

Exploration Right with the Petroleum Agency of South Africa (PASA) to explore for oil and gas reserves in the

Deepwater Durban Exploration Area offshore of the East Coast of South Africa.

In terms of Section 79 of the Mineral and Petroleum Resources Development Act (MPRDA), an Environmental

Management Programme (EMPr) covering the proposed activities must be prepared and submitted to PASA for

consideration and for approval by the Minister of Mineral Resources. The EMPr will evaluate the potential

environmental and social impacts of the proposed activities and provide mitigation and management measures to

help avoid and reduce negative effects.

Environmental Resources Management Southern Africa (Pty) Ltd (ERM) has been appointed to assist EMEPSAL in

preparing the EMPr. As part of the process, input and comment on the proposed activities is being solicited from

stakeholders and the general public.

For more information please find attached a copy of the Background Information Document (BID).

Kind Regards Claire Alborough Senior Consultant

ERM Southern Africa (Pty) Ltd 2

nd Floor | Great Westerford | 240 Main Road | Rondebosch | 7700 | Cape Town | South Africa

T +27 21 681 5400 | F +27 21 686 0736 | M +27 72 119 8244 E claire.alborough@erm.com | W www.erm.com

The world’s leading sustainability consultancy

This electronic mail message may contain information which is (a) LEGALLY PRIVILEGED, PROPRIETARY IN NATURE, OR OTHERWISE PROTECTED BY LAW FROM DISCLOSURE, and (b) intended only for the use of the Addressee (s) names herein. If you are not the Addressee (s), or the person responsible for delivering this to the Addressee (s), you are hereby notified that reading, copying, or distributing this message is prohibited. If you have

1

Tougheeda Aspeling

From: Tougheeda Aspeling on behalf of ERM Southern Africa Project Deep WaterSent: 18 December 2013 09:10 AMTo: 'Dophin Action Protection Group'Subject: RE: Proposed Oil & Gas Exploration Deepwater Durban : ERM Ref 0226484

Dear Nan Rice  Thank you for your comments regarding the proposed Deepwater Durban Exploration activities.     As part of the Environmental Management Programme (EMPr) a marine faunal impact assessment is being undertaken by specialist Dr Andrea Pulfrich of Pisces Environmental Services to assess the potential impacts of the proposed activities on marine fauna (including whales and dolphins) and recommend appropriate mitigation measures. This information will be included in the draft EMPr which will be released for public review and comment during February 2014. A standard mitigation measure which will be applied is the inclusion of a trained and experienced Marine Mammal Observer (MMO) on board the seismic survey vessel to monitor interactions with marine mammals and ensure mitigation measures are applied. Please note that the 3 year exploration period refers to the length of the exploration right applied for and not to the length of each of the proposed activities, these would be of a significantly shorter duration and would occur during the 3 year period.  Further details on all project activities, potential impacts and associated mitigation measures will be included in the EMPr.  You have been registered as an Interested and Affected Party (I&AP) and as such you will receive all further relevant notifications regarding the proposed project.  Kind regards    Tougheeda Aspeling Stakeholder Engagement Consultant ERM Southern Africa (Pty) Ltd 2nd Floor | Great Westerford | 240 Main Road | Rondebosch | 7700 | Cape Town | South Africa T +27 21 681 5400 | F 021 686 0736 | E | deepwaterdurban@erm.com W www.erm.com/deepwaterdurbanEMPR  

  The world’s leading sustainability consultancy

  ‐‐‐‐‐Original Message‐‐‐‐‐ From: Dophin Action Protection Group [mailto:mwdapg@mweb.co.za]  Sent: Friday, December 13, 2013 10:37 AM To: Tougheeda Aspeling Subject: RE: Proposed Oil & Gas Exploration Deepwater Durban : ERM Ref 0226484  Dear Tougheeda  Stakeholder Registration and Stakeholder Comments attached.  Regards Nan Rice 

From: Tougheeda Aspeling on behalf of ERM Southern Africa Project Deep WaterTo: "Ashleigh Mckenzie"Subject: RE: Proposed Oil and Gas Exploration Activities in the Deepwater Durban Exploration AreaDate: 17 December 2013 01:23:00 PMAttachments: image001.png

Dear Ashleigh Mckenzie Thank you for your interest in this project. You have been registered as an Interested andAffected Party (I&AP) and as such you will receive all further relevant notifications regarding theproposed project. Please note that the draft Environmental Management Programme (EMPr)will be released for public comment during February 2014. Please do let us know should you have any comments or queries. Kind regardsTougheeda Aspeling Project webpage: www.erm.com/deepwaterdurbanEMPR Tougheeda Aspeling Stakeholder Engagement Consultant

ERM Southern Africa (Pty) Ltd2nd Floor | Great Westerford | 240 Main Road | Rondebosch | 7700 | Cape Town | South AfricaT +27 21 681 5400 | F 021 686 0736 | E | deepwaterdurban@erm.com W www.erm.com/deepwaterdurbanEMPR

The world’s leading sustainability consultancy

From: Ashleigh Mckenzie [mailto:ashleigh.mckenzie@acerafrica.co.za] Sent: Tuesday, December 17, 2013 12:26 PMTo: Tougheeda AspelingSubject: FW: Proposed Oil and Gas Exploration Activities in the Deepwater Durban ExplorationArea

Good Day Tougheeda

Thank you for the notification of ExxonMobil’s intention to apply for an exploration right.

Please register ACER Africa Environmental Management Consultants as an I&AP and keep usinformed. Please use the contact details below.

Kind regards,

ACER (Africa) Environmental Management Consultants

Ashleigh McKenzie Environmental Consultant ACER (Africa)P O Box 503, Mtunzini, 3867Tel: (035)340 2715Fax: (035)340 2232Cell: 082 922 8986

From: Tougheeda Aspeling [mailto:Tougheeda.Aspeling@erm.com] On Behalf Of ERM SouthernAfrica Project Deep WaterSent: 12 December 2013 11:52 AMTo: Tougheeda AspelingSubject: Proposed Oil and Gas Exploration Activities in the Deepwater Durban Exploration Area ERM Ref: 0226484 Dear Stakeholder ExxonMobil Exploration and Production South Africa Limited (EMEPSAL) has submitted anapplication for an Exploration Right with the Petroleum Agency of South Africa (PASA) to explorefor oil and gas reserves in the Deepwater Durban Exploration Area offshore of the East Coast ofSouth Africa. In terms of Section 79 of the Mineral and Petroleum Resources Development Act (MPRDA), anEnvironmental Management Programme (EMPr) covering the proposed activities must beprepared and submitted to PASA for consideration and for approval by the Minister of MineralResources. The EMPr will evaluate the potential environmental and social impacts of theproposed activities and provide mitigation and management measures to help avoid and reducenegative effects. Environmental Resources Management Southern Africa (Pty) Ltd (ERM) has been appointed toassist EMEPSAL in preparing the EMPr. As part of the process, input and comment on theproposed activities is being solicited from stakeholders and the general public. For more information please find attached a copy of the Background Information Document(BID). Yours sincerely Tougheeda Aspeling Stakeholder Engagement Consultant

ERM Southern Africa (Pty) Ltd2nd Floor | Great Westerford | 240 Main Road | Rondebosch | 7700 | Cape Town | South AfricaT +27 21 681 5400 | F 021 686 0736 | E | deepwaterdurban@erm.com W www.erm.com/deepwaterdurbanEMPR

The world’s leading sustainability consultancy

1

Claire Alborough

From: Claire AlboroughSent: 16 January 2014 09:52 AMTo: 'Andrew'Subject: RE: Bell 212 offshore work follow up.

Hi Andrew

Thank you for your email. Environmental Resources Management (ERM) are the Environmental Consultants for the

project, undertaking the Impact Assessment work and therefore not involved in contracting suppliers for future

potential operations. I have however forwarded your email on to our client who would be the project operator and

they will be in touch should they require any further information.

Kind regards

Claire

Claire Alborough Consultant T: +27 21 681 5400

F: +27 21 686 0736

C: +27 (0)72 119 8244 Email: Claire.Alborough@erm.com

From: Andrew [mailto:adebruyn66@gmail.com]

Sent: Thursday, January 16, 2014 8:54 AM To: Claire Alborough

Cc: bkatz@yebo.co.za Subject: Bell 212 offshore work follow up.

Hi Claire

Please see the attached document from AV8 helicopters in East London regarding the East Coast oil exploration

project.

Kind regards

Andrew de Bruyn

This email is free from viruses and malware because avast! Antivirus protection is active.

From: Tougheeda Aspeling on behalf of ERM Southern Africa Project Deep WaterTo: "Simitha Bechan"Cc: desmond@sdceango.co.zaSubject: RE: Further information for the proposed oil and gas explorationDate: 13 December 2013 12:28:00 PMAttachments: image001.png

Dear Simitha Thank you for your interest in this project. You have been registered as an Interested andAffected Party (I&AP) and as such you will receive all further relevant notifications regarding theproposed project. Please note that the draft Environmental Management Programme (EMPr)will be released for public comment during February 2014. Please do let us know should you have any comments or queries. Kind regards Tougheeda AspelingStakeholder Engagement Consultant ERM Southern Africa (Pty) Ltd2nd Floor | Great Westerford | 240 Main Road | Rondebosch | 7700 | Cape Town | South AfricaT +27 21 681 5400 | F 086 5404 072 |E deepwaterdurban@erm.com | W www.erm.com/deepwaterdurbanEMPR

The world’s leading sustainability consultancy

From: Simitha Bechan [mailto:Simitha@sdceango.co.za] Sent: Thursday, December 12, 2013 8:29 AMTo: ERM Southern Africa Project Deep WaterCc: desmond@sdceango.co.zaSubject: Further information for the proposed oil and gas exploration Dear Tougheeda, Please may you register myself and Desmond D’sa (he has been Cc’d) to receive furtherinformation regarding the proposed oil and gas exploration activities in the deep -waters ofDurban. It will be greatly appreciated. Thank You

Kind Regards,

Simitha BechanProject Officer on Climate, Energy and YouthSDCEATel: 031 4611991Fax: 031 4681257Cell: 0726027669Email: Simitha@sdceango.co.za

“Earth provides enough to satisfy every man’s need, but not every man’s greed.” – Gandhi

From: Tougheeda Aspeling on behalf of ERM Southern Africa Project Deep WaterTo: "vicki@metamorphosisdbn.co.za"Subject: RE: Register as an IAPDate: 13 December 2013 12:21:00 PMAttachments: image001.png

Dear VickiThank you for your interest in this project. You have been registered as an Interested andAffected Party (I&AP) and as such you will receive all further relevant notifications regarding theproposed project. Please note that the draft Environmental Management Programme (EMPr)will be released for public comment during February 2014. Please do let us know should you have any comments or queries.Kind regards Tougheeda Aspeling Stakeholder Engagement Consultant

ERM Southern Africa (Pty) Ltd2nd Floor | Great Westerford | 240 Main Road | Rondebosch | 7700 | Cape Town | South AfricaT +27 21 681 5400 | F 086 5404 072 | E deepwaterdurban@erm.com| W www.erm.com/deepwaterdurbanEMPR

The world’s leading sustainability consultancy

From: vicki King [mailto:vicki@metamorphosisdbn.co.za] Sent: Friday, December 13, 2013 10:17 AMTo: ERM Southern Africa Project Deep WaterSubject: Register as an IAP Dear TougheedaPlease could you register me as an IAP for the Deepwater Durban project. Contact details below.RegardsVicki Vicki KingMetamorphosis Environmental ConsultantsMobile: 076 420 1441Telephone: 031 765 2713Fax: 086 562 7078 www.metamorphosisdbn.co.za

1

Claire Alborough

From: Claire AlboroughSent: 24 January 2014 11:55 AMTo: Richard@rmcec.co.zaSubject: FW: Proposed Oil and Gas Exploration Activities in the Deepwater Durban Exploration

Area

Hi Richard

Thank you for the response. As a registered Interested and Affected Party (I&AP) you will receive all further relevant

notifications regarding the proposed project. Please note that the draft Environmental Management Programme

(EMPr) will be released for public comment during February 2014.

In terms of the Transkei Algoa Exploration Project, Impact Africa have not as yet been awarded the Exploration Right

and the decision on their application is pending with the Petroleum Agency of South Africa (PASA).

Kind regards

Claire

Claire Alborough

Consultant

T: +27 21 681 5400

F: +27 21 686 0736

C: +27 (0)72 119 8244

Email: Claire.Alborough@erm.com

From: Richard Stephenson [mailto:richard@rmcec.co.za]

Sent: Thursday, January 16, 2014 2:56 PM To: Claire Alborough

Cc: Tougheeda Aspeling Subject: RE: Proposed Oil and Gas Exploration Activities in the Deepwater Durban Exploration Area

Hi Claire

Thank you and compliments to you too.

I appreciate your thoughts on this matter. It does seem, at a glance, to be on our extreme borders but I will advise

the Royal Monarchs Council accordingly.

Can you please update me on the process you are busy with off the Wild Coast?

Yours sincerely

Richard Stephenson

Secretary General

Royal Monarchs Council

Eastern Cape

Richard@rmcec.co.za

083-657 5103

Member Kingdoms;

2

Thembuland- King Zwelibanzi Dalindyebo, Western Pondoland – King

Mangaliso Ndamase, Xhosaland – King Zwelonke Sigcau.

The Royal Monarchs Council, Eastern Cape fully supports the United Nations Millenium Development Goals.

From: Claire Alborough [mailto:Claire.Alborough@erm.com]

Sent: 09 January 2014 11:34 AM

To: Richard@rmcec.co.za Cc: Tougheeda Aspeling

Subject: FW: Proposed Oil and Gas Exploration Activities in the Deepwater Durban Exploration Area

ERM Ref: 0226484

Dear Richard

Compliments of the season! I am working on an EMPr for a new exploration project for EMEPSAL offshore of the

East Coast of South Africa. The Exploration Area is located far offshore and there is a small portion that falls within

the Eastern Cape province with the majority within KwaZulu Natal. However I wanted to let you know about the

project and have registered you as a stakeholder. We sent out a notification late last year but yours came back

undeliverable and I see now that it was due to an incorrect email address so I thought I would resend to this

address. Please see below text as sent out to stakeholders during December and the Background Information

Document attached. Please don't hesitate to contact me should you have any comments or queries.

'ExxonMobil Exploration and Production South Africa Limited (EMEPSAL) has submitted an application for an

Exploration Right with the Petroleum Agency of South Africa (PASA) to explore for oil and gas reserves in the

Deepwater Durban Exploration Area offshore of the East Coast of South Africa.

In terms of Section 79 of the Mineral and Petroleum Resources Development Act (MPRDA), an Environmental

Management Programme (EMPr) covering the proposed activities must be prepared and submitted to PASA for

consideration and for approval by the Minister of Mineral Resources. The EMPr will evaluate the potential

environmental and social impacts of the proposed activities and provide mitigation and management measures to

help avoid and reduce negative effects.

3

Environmental Resources Management Southern Africa (Pty) Ltd (ERM) has been appointed to assist EMEPSAL in

preparing the EMPr. As part of the process, input and comment on the proposed activities is being solicited from

stakeholders and the general public.

For more information please find attached a copy of the Background Information Document (BID).'

Kind Regards Claire Alborough Senior Consultant

ERM Southern Africa (Pty) Ltd 2

nd Floor | Great Westerford | 240 Main Road | Rondebosch | 7700 | Cape Town | South Africa

T +27 21 681 5400 | F +27 21 686 0736 | M +27 72 119 8244 E claire.alborough@erm.com | W www.erm.com

The world’s leading sustainability consultancy

This electronic mail message may contain information which is (a) LEGALLY PRIVILEGED, PROPRIETARY IN NATURE, OR OTHERWISE PROTECTED BY LAW FROM DISCLOSURE, and (b) intended only for the use of the Addressee (s) names herein. If you are not the Addressee (s), or the person responsible for delivering this to the Addressee (s), you are hereby notified that reading, copying, or distributing this message is prohibited. If you have received this electronic mail message in error, please contact us immediately and take the steps necessary to delete the message completely from your computer system. Thank you. Please visit ERM's web site: http://www.erm.com

This electronic mail message may contain information which is (a) LEGALLY PRIVILEGED, PROPRIETARY IN NATURE, OR OTHERWISE PROTECTED BY LAW FROM DISCLOSURE, and (b) intended only for the use of the Addressee (s) names herein. If you are not the Addressee (s), or the person responsible for delivering this to the Addressee (s), you are hereby notified that reading, copying, or distributing this message is prohibited. If you have received this electronic mail message in error, please contact us immediately and take the steps necessary to delete the message completely from your computer system. Thank you. Please visit ERM's web site: http://www.erm.com

Draft EMPr Notification

and Meeting Invitations

1

Claire Alborough

From: Claire AlboroughSent: 07 February 2014 05:10 PMTo: Claire AlboroughCc: Tougheeda AspelingSubject: FW: Deepwater Durban Environmental Management Programme - Release of

Environmental Management ProgrammeAttachments: DWD Draft EMPr Public Notification February 2014.pdf

Importance: High

Bcc: Zama, Lawretta T /C; Johnson, Matt /C (matt.johnson@exxonmobil.com); 'nngcaba@environment.gov.za'; 'dg@daff.gov.za'; 'dodg@daff.gov.za'; 'jgeeringh@environment.gov.za'; 'JohannAU@daff.gov.za'; 'JanetC@nda.agric.za'; 'DeonD@daff.gov.za'; 'DeonD@nda.agric.za'; 'kimp@daff.gov.za'; 'muzi.mhkize@energy.gov.za'; 'ajboyd@environment.gov.za'; 'AndrewC@daff.gov.za'; 'mgordon@environment.gov.za'; 'lhutchin@deat.gov.za'; 'Mmeyer@environment.gov.za'; 'lmudau2@environment.gov.za'; 'romar@environment.gov.za'; 'oosthuiz@environment.gov.za'; 'pa.enviro@kzndae.gov.za'; 'thengwac@durban.gov.za'; 'myezas@kznded.gov.za'; 'Haroon.Karodia@kzndae.gov.za'; 'delriciaa@daff.gov.za'; 'MphakamisiF@daff.gov.za'; 'VeronicaM@daff.gov.za'; 'ZimbiniG@daff.gov.za'; 'thanduxolo5@gmail.com'; 'mqedlana@kznded.gov.za'; 'mthembus@kznded.gov.za'; 'hodpa@kzndae.gov.za'; 'queen.kanyile@kzndae.gov.za'; 'nonhlanhla.qhobosheane@kzncogta.gov.za'; 'sizokele.phobila@deaet.ecape.gov.za'; 'lawrence.musisi@agr.ecprov.gov.za'; 'Alistair.McMaster@deaet.ecape.gov.za'; 'Bulumko.nelana@deaet.ecape.gov.za'; 'Albert.mfenyana@deaet.ecape.gov.za'; 'andries.struwig@deaet.ecape.gov.za'; 'Asanda.Sontsele@ecpta.co.za'; 'Gerry.pienaar@deaet.ecape.gov.za'; 'Stanley.khanyile@dhlgta.ecape.gov.za'; 'fguleni@psjmunicipality.gov.za'; 'mshiywa.feziwe30@gmail.com'; 'mm@hcm.gov.za'; 'DD.Naidoo@ugu.gov.za'; 'karenp@umdoni.gov.za'; 'mmoffice@umdoni.gov.za'; 'kavershens@umdoni.gov.za'; 'sibekonj@richemp.org.za'; 'peron.amein@durban.gov.za'; 'odonoghues@durban.gov.za'; 'dovec@durban.gov.za'; 'rowan.t@webmail.co.za'; 'zandisilet@buffalocity.gov.za'; 'bongumusa.mkhize@durban.gov.za'; 'musa.mkhize@yahoo.com'; 'obed.qulo@gmail.com'; 'luckyladyfishing@gmail.com'; 'taiyoct@mweb.co.za'; 'jduncan@wwf.org.za'; 'spetersen@wwf.org.za'; 'Faisal.Sultan@transnet.net'; 'Brynn.Adamson@transnet.net'; 'ricky.bhikraj@transnet.net'; 'rufus.lekala@transnet.net'; 'VTS.CONTROL@transnet.net'; 'dennis.mqadi@transnet.net'; 'thami.ntshingila@transnet.net'; 'aradhana.dasarath@transnet.net'; 'jenny@wessakzn.org.za'; 'desmond@sdceango.co.za'; 'bongani@sdceango.co.za'; 'sberry@wc.sahra.org.za'; 'nnoble@samsa.org.za'; 'mrcc.ct@samsa.org.za'; 'DBurgess@samsa.org.za'; 'dmanley@samsa.org.za'; 'mbrkovic@samsa.org.za'; 'wlobo@samsa.org.za'; 'k.sink@sanbi.org.za'; 'hydrosan@iafrica.com'; 'hydrosan@iafrica.com'; 'hydrosan@iafrica.com'; 'khosi.zondi@transnet.net'; 'vuyo.keswa2@transnet.net'; 'ori@saambr.org.za'; 'jessica@saambr.org.za'; 'bruce@ori.org.za'; 'bruce@windlands.co.za'; 'malpha@shark.co.za'; 'hargreaves@shark.co.za'; 'themba.mkhize@transnet.net'; 'thembi@isimangaliso.com'; 'lindy@isimangaliso.com'; 'thembi@isimangaliso.com'; 'bachoos@kznwildlife.com'; 'andyb@kznwildlife.com'; 'cedricc@kznwildlife.com'; 'greenk@kznwildlife.com'; 'livingst@kznwildlife.com'; 'nairg@kznwildlife.com'; 'thambud@kznwildlife.com'; 'bluffyachtclub@xsinet.co.za'; 'jappy@iafrica.com'; 'cdswhale@worldonline.co.za'; 'mbambo@shark.co.za'; 'ronel.nel@nmmu.ac.za'; 'george.hughes@iuncapped.co.za'; 'afromatz@telkomsa.net'; 'shaunb@premfish.co.za'; 'johanp@premfish.co.za'; 'durbanshore@vikingfishing.co.za'; 'Walterb@seaharvest.co.za'; 'wayne.marzul@iafrica.com'; 'new@wallem.com'; 'don@comfish.co.za'; 'comfish@mweb.co.za'; 'safish@new.co.za'; 'fani@sapia.co.za'; 'sasmia@webec.co.za'; 'sasmia@webec.co.za'; 'rball@iafrica.com'; 'sata@mweb.co.za'; 'clyde@molimoman.co.za'; 'cattwood@mweb.co.za'; 'ladymfishing@telkomsa.net'; 'craig@hdpbrokers.co.za'; 'admin@sadsaa.com'; 'mjvermaak@worldonline.co.za'; 'deepsea@iafrica.com'; 'harveya@telkomsa.net'; 'aharvey@absamail.co.za'; 'alexander@alexandercox.co.za'; 'offshore@mweb.co.za'; 'gd@goswell.co.za'; 'agency@jmss.co.za'; 'kgfishing@mweb.co.za'; 'ftea@telkomsa.net'; 'longline@mweb.co.za'; 'priscauys@yahoo.com'; 'judianbruk@telkomsa.net'; 'hans@bigcatch.co.za'; 'chris@africantuna.com'; 'andrew@kaytrad.co.za'; 'dyer@mjvn.co.za'; 'angie@vikingfishing.co.za'; 'craig@vikingfishing.co.za'; 'dan@new.co.za'; 'Dino@talhado.co.za'; 'gduplessis@pioneerfishing.co.za'; 'cttopsradio@ij.co.za'; 'lshaer@lusitaniafishing.co.za'; 'lynweth@polka.co.za';

2

Bcc: 'sceptre@isat.co.za'; 'petesims@mweb.co.za'; 'ReneC@ij.co.za'; 'rob@kzntuna.com'; 'rory@vikingfishing.co.za'; 'salome@lft.co.za'; 'sandile@eyethufishing.co.za'; 'suleimans@bluecon.co.za'; 'deepsea@iafrica.com'; 'procher@bluecon.co.za'; 'msands@bluecon.co.za'; 'nivalda@yant.co.za'; 'admin@tunahake.co.za'; 'jeremy@fishsa.org'; 'RuiV@oceana.co.za'; 'albacore@iafrica.com'; 'tim@selectafish.co.za'; 'Dino@talhado.co.za'; 'mekwel@petroleumagencysa.com'; 'motloungt@petroleumagencysa.com'; 'ngesip@petroleumagencysa.com'; 'vanderspuyd@petroleumagencysa.com'; 'siphiwe.msipho@petrosa.co.za'; 'apulfrich@pisces.co.za'; 'mwdapg@mweb.co.za'; 'glassom@ukzn.za'; 'giles.churchill@acerafrica.co.za'; 'siziwe@groundwork.org.za'; 'm.doherty@impactoilandgas.co.uk'; 's.ilett@impactoilandgas.co.uk'; 's.lunn@impactoilandgas.co.za'; 'kenfin@mweb.co.za'; 'alison.futter@petrosa.co.za'; 'editor@sailing.co.za'; 'marta.henriques@sasol.com'; 'liesl.marriott@sasol.com'; 'Eugene.okpere@sasol.com'; 'Kllee824@yahoo.com.sg'; 'crramsden@gmail.com'; 'mxiphu@offshoreafrica.co.za'; 'ashleigh.mckenzie@acerafrica.co.za'; 'Richard@rmcec.co.za'; 'steward@nctasa.co.za'; 'eml70@durban.gov.za'; 'YUGESHNI.GOVENDER@kzndae.gov.za'; 'peter.kuyler@kzndae.gov.za'; 'desmond@sdceango.co.za'; 'mwdapg@mweb.co.za'; 'ashleigh.mckenzie@acerafrica.co.za'; 'pmartin@axxess.co.za'; 'afromatz@telkomsa.net'; 'alicetho@ispace.co.za'; 'ramdheenr@telkomsa.net'; 'neal.naidoo@transnet.net'; 'rassool1@mjvn.co.za'; 'Simitha@sdceango.co.za'; 'desmond@sdceango.co.za'; 'mwdapg@mweb.co.za'; 'vicki@metamorphosisdbn.co.za'; 'ashleigh.mckenzie@acerafrica.co.za'; 'pmartin@axxess.co.za'

Dear Stakeholders

Please find attached notification letter regarding the release of the draft Environmental Management Programme

(EMPr). The EMPr was prepared in support of the Exploration Right Application lodged by ExxonMobil Exploration &

Production South Africa Limited to explore for oil and gas reserves in the Deepwater Durban Exploration Area

offshore of the Durban South Coast of South Africa. The report can be downloaded from:

www.erm.com/deepwaterdurbanEMPR.

Further to the below email please be advised that in response to public interest we will be holding an additional

group engagement meeting (in an open house format) in Durban:

Date: Tuesday 18 February 2014

Time: 4 pm – 6pm

Venue: Austerville Community Hall, Percy Johnson Road, Austerville, Durban

RSVP to Tougheeda Aspeling (Email: tougheeda.aspeling@erm.com / Tel: 021 681 5400) should you wish to attend

the meeting.

Yours sincerely,

Tougheeda Aspeling Stakeholder Engagement Consultant ERM Southern Africa (Pty) Ltd 2

nd Floor | Great Westerford | 240 Main Road | Rondebosch | 7700 | Cape Town | South Africa

T +27 21 681 5400 | F 086 5404 072 | M +27 84 2066187 E Tougheeda.Aspeling@erm.com| W www.erm.com

The world’s leading sustainability consultancy

3

From: Tougheeda Aspeling [mailto:Tougheeda.Aspeling@erm.com]

Sent: 05 February 2014 03:51 PM To: Tougheeda Aspeling

Subject: Deepwater Durban Environmental Management Programme ( Stakeholder Engagement Meeting

Dear Stakeholders

Our client, ExxonMobil Exploration & Production South Africa Limited has applied to the Petroleum Agency South

Africa (PASA) for an Exploration Right in the Deepwater Durban Exploration Area offshore of the Durban South Coast

of South Africa (see the PASA map attached – Deepwater Durban Exploration Area outlined in red).

An initial notification and Background Information Document (BID) was sent out on 12 December 2013 to interested

and affected parties regarding the proposed oil and gas exploration in this area (see BID attached). The draft

Environmental Management Programme (EMPr) is being finalised and will be distributed for public comment during

early February 2014.

In this regard, we will be holding a group meeting (in an open house format) in Port Shepstone, please see details

below:

Date: Wednesday, 19 February 2014

Time: 4 – 6 pm

Venue: Umthunzi Hotel, 60 Commercial Rd, Umtentweni, Port Shepstone

RSVP to Tougheeda Aspeling (Email: tougheeda.aspeling@erm.com / Tel: 021 681 5400) should you wish to attend

the meeting.

Please note that we will also be holding focus group meetings with specific interest groups in Durban and

Pietermaritzburg during the week of the 17th

February 2014.

Tougheeda Aspeling Stakeholder Engagement Consultant ERM Southern Africa (Pty) Ltd 2

nd Floor | Great Westerford | 240 Main Road | Rondebosch | 7700 | Cape Town | South Africa

T +27 21 681 5400 | F 086 5404 072 | M +27 84 2066187 E Tougheeda.Aspeling@erm.com| W www.erm.com

The world’s leading sustainability consultancy

The world’s leading sustainability consultancy

This electronic mail message may contain information which is (a) LEGALLY PRIVILEGED, PROPRIETARY IN NATURE, OR OTHERWISE PROTECTED BY LAW FROM DISCLOSURE, and (b) intended only for the use of the Addressee (s) names herein. If you are not the Addressee (s), or the person responsible for delivering this to the Addressee (s), you are hereby notified that reading, copying, or distributing this message is prohibited. If you have received this electronic mail message in error, please contact us immediately and take the steps necessary to delete the message completely from your computer system. Thank you. Please visit ERM's web site: http://www.erm.com

4

This electronic mail message may contain information which is (a) LEGALLY PRIVILEGED, PROPRIETARY IN NATURE, OR OTHERWISE PROTECTED BY LAW FROM DISCLOSURE, and (b) intended only for the use of the Addressee (s) names herein. If you are not the Addressee (s), or the person responsible for delivering this to the Addressee (s), you are hereby notified that reading, copying, or distributing this message is prohibited. If you have received this electronic mail message in error, please contact us immediately and take the steps necessary to delete the message completely from your computer system. Thank you. Please visit ERM's web site: http://www.erm.com --

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From: Tougheeda AspelingTo: Tougheeda AspelingBcc: "nngcaba@environment.gov.za"; "DG@daff.gov.za"; "DDGFisheries@daff.gov.za";

"jgeeringh@environment.gov.za"; "JohannAU@daff.gov.za"; "JanetC@daff.gov.za"; "DeonD@daff.gov.za";"kimp@daff.gov.za"; "muzi.mhkize@energy.gov.za"; "ajboyd@environment.gov.za";"AndrewC@daff.gov.za"; "mgordon@environment.gov.za"; "lhutchin@deat.gov.za";"Mmeyer@environment.gov.za"; "lmudau2@environment.gov.za"; "ashare@environment.gov.za";"oosthuiz@environment.gov.za"; "mmayekiso@environment.gov.za"; "jmphepya@environment.gov.za";"pa.enviro@kzndae.gov.za"; "chumisa.thengwa@durban.gov.za"; "myezas@kznded.gov.za";"Haroon.Karodia@kzndae.gov.za"; "pheobiusm@daff.gov.za"; "delriciaa@daff.gov.za";"MphakamisiF@daff.gov.za"; "VeronicaM@daff.gov.za"; "ZimbiniG@daff.gov.za";"thanduxolo5@gmail.com"; "desmond@kznded.gov.za"; "hodpa@kzndae.gov.za";"nonhlanhla.qhobosheane@kzncogta.gov.za"; "sizakele.gabula@deaet.ecape.gov.za";"lawrence.musisi@agr.ecprov.gov.za"; "Alistair.McMaster@deaet.ecape.gov.za";"Bulumko.nelana@deaet.ecape.gov.za"; "Albert.mfenyana@deaet.ecape.gov.za";"andries.struwig@deaet.ecape.gov.za"; "Asanda.Sontsele@ecpta.co.za";"Gerry.pienaar@deaet.ecape.gov.za"; "Stanley.khanyile@eclgta.gov.za"; "thabisile.mbebe@eclgta.gov.za";"fguleni@psjmunicipality.gov.za"; "mshiywa.feziwe30@gmail.com"; "mm@hcm.gov.za";"DD.Naidoo@ugu.gov.za"; "karenp@umdoni.gov.za"; "mmoffice@umdoni.gov.za";"kavershens@umdoni.gov.za"; "sibekonj@richemp.org.za"; "AmeinP@durban.gov.za";"ODonoghueS@durban.gov.za"; "dovec@durban.gov.za"; "rowan.t@webmail.co.za";"zandisilet@buffalocity.gov.za"; "Musa.mkhize@yahoo.com"; "musa.mkhize@yahoo.com";"obed.qulo@gmail.com"; "luckyladyfishing@gmail.com"; "taiyoct@mweb.co.za"; "jduncan@wwf.org.za";"spetersen@wwf.org.za"; "Faisal.Sultan@transnet.net"; "Brynn.Adamson@transnet.net";"ricky.bhikraj@transnet.net"; "rufus.lekala@transnet.net"; "VTS.CONTROL@transnet.net";"dennis.mqadi@transnet.net"; "thami.ntshingila@transnet.net"; "aradhana.dasarath@transnet.net";"jenny@wessakzn.org.za"; "desmond@sdceango.co.za"; "bongani@sdceango.co.za";"sberry@wc.sahra.org.za"; "nnoble@samsa.org.za"; "mrcc.ct@samsa.org.za"; "DBurgess@samsa.org.za";"dmanley@samsa.org.za"; "mbrkovic@samsa.org.za"; "wlobo@samsa.org.za"; "k.sink@sanbi.org.za";"hydrosan@iafrica.com"; "hydrosan@iafrica.com"; "hydrosan@iafrica.com"; "khosi.zondi@transnet.net";"vuyo.keswa2@transnet.net"; "ori@saambr.org.za"; "jessica@saambr.org.za"; "bruce@ori.org.za";"bruce@windlands.co.za"; "malpha@shark.co.za"; "hargreaves@shark.co.za";"themba.mkhize@transnet.net"; "thembi@isimangaliso.com"; "lindy@isimangaliso.com";"thembi@isimangaliso.com"; "bachoos@kznwildlife.com"; "andyb@kznwildlife.com";"cedricc@kznwildlife.com"; "greenk@kznwildlife.com"; "livingst@kznwildlife.com"; "nairg@kznwildlife.com";"thambud@kznwildlife.com"; "bluffyachtclub@xsinet.co.za"; "jappy@iafrica.com";"cdswhale@worldonline.co.za"; "mbambo@shark.co.za"; "ronel.nel@nmmu.ac.za";"george.hughes@iuncapped.co.za"; "afromatz@telkomsa.net"; "shaunb@premfish.co.za";"johanp@premfish.co.za"; "durbanshore@vikingfishing.co.za"; "Walterb@seaharvest.co.za";"wayne.marzul@iafrica.com"; "new@wallem.com"; "don@comfish.co.za"; "comfish@mweb.co.za";"safish@new.co.za"; "fani@sapia.co.za"; "sasmia@webec.co.za"; "sasmia@webec.co.za";"rball@iafrica.com"; "sata@mweb.co.za"; "clyde@molimoman.co.za"; "cattwood@mweb.co.za";"ladymfishing@telkomsa.net"; "craig@hdpbrokers.co.za"; "admin@sadsaa.com";"mjvermaak@worldonline.co.za"; "deepsea@iafrica.com"; "harveya@telkomsa.net";"alexander@alexandercox.co.za"; "offshore@mweb.co.za"; "gd@goswell.co.za"; "agency@jmss.co.za";"kgfishing@mweb.co.za"; "sfadmin@seafreeze.co.za"; "longline@mweb.co.za"; "priscauys@yahoo.com";"judianbruk@telkomsa.net"; "hans@bigcatch.co.za"; "chris@africantuna.com"; "andrew@kaytrad.co.za";"craig@vikingfishing.co.za"; "dan@new.co.za"; "Dino@talhado.co.za"; "gduplessis@pioneerfishing.co.za";"cttopsradio@ij.co.za"; "lshaer@lusitaniafishing.co.za"; "lynweth@polka.co.za"; "sceptre@isat.co.za";"petesims@mweb.co.za"; "ReneC@ij.co.za"; "rob@kzntuna.com"; "rory@vikingfishing.co.za";"salome@lft.co.za"; "sandile@eyethufishing.co.za"; "suleimans@bluecon.co.za"; "deepsea@iafrica.com";"procher@bluecon.co.za"; "msands@bluecon.co.za"; "nivalda@yant.co.za"; "admin@tunahake.co.za";"jeremy@fishsa.org"; "RuiV@oceana.co.za"; "albacore@iafrica.com"; "tim@selectafish.co.za";"Dino@talhado.co.za"; "mekwel@petroleumagencysa.com"; "motloungt@petroleumagencysa.com";"ngesip@petroleumagencysa.com"; "vanderspuyd@petroleumagencysa.com";"siphiwe.msipho@petrosa.co.za"; "apulfrich@pisces.co.za"; "mwdapg@mweb.co.za";"glassom@ukzn.ac.za"; "giles.churchill@acerafrica.co.za"; "siziwe@groundwork.org.za";"m.doherty@impactoilandgas.co.uk"; "s.ilett@impactoilandgas.co.uk"; "s.lunn@impactoilandgas.co.za";"kenfin@mweb.co.za"; "alison.futter@petrosa.co.za"; "editor@sailing.co.za";"marta.henriques@sasol.com"; "liesl.marriott@sasol.com"; "Eugene.okpere@sasol.com";"Kllee824@yahoo.com.sg"; "crramsden@gmail.com"; "mxiphu@offshoreafrica.co.za";"ashleigh.mckenzie@acerafrica.co.za"; "Richard@rmcec.co.za"; "stewart@actasa.co.za";"ste@faceup.co.za"; "YUGESHNI.GOVENDER@kzndae.gov.za"; "peter.kuyler@kzndae.gov.za";"desmond@sdceango.co.za"; "vicki@metamorphosisdbn.co.za""; "mwdapg@mweb.co.za";"ashleigh.mckenzie@acerafrica.co.za"; "pmartin@axxess.co.za"; "afromatz@telkomsa.net";"alicetho@ispace.co.za"; "ramdheenr@telkomsa.net"; "neal.naidoo@transnet.net"; "rassool1@mjvn.co.za";"paddyn@telkomsa.net"; "Noloyiso.nkqeto@ugu.gov.za"; "david@halle.co.za"; "thando@sdceango.co.za";"norma.patrick8@gmail.com"; "jfrancis@wwf.org.za"; "mia@oceanwatchsa.co.za";"priya@sdceango.co.za"; "celestepatrick@cellc.blackberry.com"

Subject: Deepwater Durban Environmental Management Programme - Release of Environmental ManagementProgramme

Date: 28 February 2014 11:34:00 AMAttachments: image001.png

DWD Draft EMPr Public Notification February 2014.pdf

Dear Stakeholders

Further to the below email, please be advised that the draft EMPr has been made available inthe following public libraries: Port Shepstone Public Library – 10 Connor Street, Civic CentreAmazimtoti Public Library – 1-62, Riverside Rd, Amanzimtoti, 4126Margate Public Library – 1000 Dan Pienaar Square Margate South CoastAusterville Public Library – Percy Johnston Rd, Austerville, Durban, 4052Durban Public Library - 1st Floor City Hall Anton Lembede Street DurbanBalito Public Library – 51 Compensation Beach Rd, Dolphin Coast 4399Richards Bay Public Library – Kruger Rand Street Richards Bay North CoastKwaDukuza Public Library – Cnr Of Gizenga Street & Balcomb Street Kwadukuza North Coast Please do contact us should you have any comments or queries. Yours sincerely Tougheeda Aspeling Stakeholder Engagement Consultant

ERM Southern Africa (Pty) Ltd2nd Floor | Great Westerford | 240 Main Road | Rondebosch | 7700 | Cape Town | South AfricaT +27 21 681 5400 | F 086 5404 072 | M +27 84 2066187E Tougheeda.Aspeling@erm.com| W www.erm.com

The world’s leading sustainability consultancy

From: Claire Alborough Sent: Friday, February 07, 2014 5:10 PMTo: Claire AlboroughCc: Tougheeda AspelingSubject: FW: Deepwater Durban Environmental Management Programme - Release ofEnvironmental Management ProgrammeImportance: High Dear Stakeholders Please find attached notification letter regarding the release of the draft EnvironmentalManagement Programme (EMPr). The EMPr was prepared in support of the Exploration RightApplication lodged by ExxonMobil Exploration & Production South Africa Limited to explore foroil and gas reserves in the Deepwater Durban Exploration Area offshore of the Durban SouthCoast of South Africa. The report can be downloaded from:www.erm.com/deepwaterdurbanEMPR. Further to the below email please be advised that in response to public interest we will beholding an additional group engagement meeting (in an open house format) in Durban:

Date: Tuesday 18 February 2014Time: 4 pm – 6pmVenue: Austerville Community Hall, Percy Johnson Road, Austerville, Durban RSVP to Tougheeda Aspeling (Email: tougheeda.aspeling@erm.com / Tel: 021 681 5400) shouldyou wish to attend the meeting. Yours sincerely, Tougheeda Aspeling Stakeholder Engagement Consultant

ERM Southern Africa (Pty) Ltd2nd Floor | Great Westerford | 240 Main Road | Rondebosch | 7700 | Cape Town | South AfricaT +27 21 681 5400 | F 086 5404 072 | M +27 84 2066187E Tougheeda.Aspeling@erm.com| W www.erm.com

The world’s leading sustainability consultancy

From: Tougheeda Aspeling [mailto:Tougheeda.Aspeling@erm.com]Sent: 05 February 2014 03:51 PMTo: Tougheeda AspelingSubject: Deepwater Durban Environmental Management Programme - Stakeholder EngagementMeeting Dear Stakeholders Our client, ExxonMobil Exploration & Production South Africa Limited has applied to thePetroleum Agency South Africa (PASA) for an Exploration Right in the Deepwater DurbanExploration Area offshore of the Durban South Coast of South Africa (see the PASA mapattached – Deepwater Durban Exploration Area outlined in red). An initial notification and Background Information Document (BID) was sent out on 12December 2013 to interested and affected parties regarding the proposed oil and gasexploration in this area (see BID attached). The draft Environmental Management Programme(EMPr) is being finalised and will be distributed for public comment during early February 2014. In this regard, we will be holding a group meeting (in an open house format) in Port Shepstone,please see details below: Date: Wednesday, 19 February 2014Time: 4 – 6 pmVenue: Umthunzi Hotel, 60 Commercial Rd, Umtentweni, Port Shepstone

RSVP to Tougheeda Aspeling (Email: tougheeda.aspeling@erm.com / Tel: 021 681 5400) shouldyou wish to attend the meeting. Please note that we will also be holding focus group meetings with specific interest groups in

Durban and Pietermaritzburg during the week of the 17th February 2014. Tougheeda Aspeling Stakeholder Engagement Consultant

ERM Southern Africa (Pty) Ltd2nd Floor | Great Westerford | 240 Main Road | Rondebosch | 7700 | Cape Town | South AfricaT +27 21 681 5400 | F 086 5404 072 | M +27 84 2066187E Tougheeda.Aspeling@erm.com| W www.erm.com

The world’s leading sustainability consultancy

The world’s leading sustainability consultancy

This electronic mail message may contain information which is (a) LEGALLY PRIVILEGED, PROPRIETARY IN NATURE, OROTHERWISE PROTECTED BY LAW FROM DISCLOSURE, and (b) intended only for the use of the Addressee (s) namesherein. If you are not the Addressee (s), or the person responsible for delivering this to the Addressee (s), you are hereby notifiedthat reading, copying, or distributing this message is prohibited. If you have received this electronic mail message in error, pleasecontact us immediately and take the steps necessary to delete the message completely from your computer system. Thank you.

Please visit ERM's web site: http://www.erm.com

This electronic mail message may contain information which is (a) LEGALLY PRIVILEGED, PROPRIETARY IN NATURE, OROTHERWISE PROTECTED BY LAW FROM DISCLOSURE, and (b) intended only for the use of the Addressee (s) namesherein. If you are not the Addressee (s), or the person responsible for delivering this to the Addressee (s), you are hereby notifiedthat reading, copying, or distributing this message is prohibited. If you have received this electronic mail message in error, pleasecontact us immediately and take the steps necessary to delete the message completely from your computer system. Thank you.

Please visit ERM's web site: http://www.erm.com

--You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups"Campaign_Durban Port Expansion" group.To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email toCampaign_DPE+unsubscribe@googlegroups.com.Visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/Campaign_DPE.For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/groups/opt_out.

Draft EMPr

Correspondence

1

Claire Alborough

From: Carolyn <afromatz@telkomsa.net>Sent: 06 February 2014 03:18 PMTo: Claire AlboroughSubject: RE: [PORT] FW: Deepwater Durban Environmental Management Programme -

Stakeholder Engagement Meeting

Appreciated – many thanks.

Regards

Carolyn

From: Claire Alborough [mailto:Claire.Alborough@erm.com]

Sent: 06 February 2014 02:52 PM To: Carolyn

Cc: Tougheeda Aspeling Subject: RE: [PORT] FW: Deepwater Durban Environmental Management Programme , Stakeholder Engagement

Meeting

Dear Carolyn

That is a pleasure. We can indeed post a cd with the draft EMPr documentation, as soon as it is made available for

public comment, which will be early next week at the latest.

Kind regards

Claire

Claire Alborough

Consultant

T: +27 21 681 5400

F: +27 21 686 0736

C: +27 (0)72 119 8244

Email: Claire.Alborough@erm.com

From: Carolyn [mailto:afromatz@telkomsa.net]

Sent: Thursday, February 06, 2014 12:48 PM

To: Claire Alborough Cc: Tougheeda Aspeling

Subject: RE: [PORT] FW: Deepwater Durban Environmental Management Programme , Stakeholder Engagement

Meeting

Dear Claire

Thanks for sorting that out. As I review numerous reports on behalf of Coastwatch downloading info from websites

becomes quite impractical. Can you see your way to ERM sending me a cd with the EMPr documentation, please? It

would be most appreciated.

Regards

Carolyn

From: Claire Alborough [mailto:Claire.Alborough@erm.com]

Sent: 06 February 2014 11:28 AM

To: afromatz@telkomsa.net Cc: Tougheeda Aspeling

2

Subject: FW: [PORT] FW: Deepwater Durban Environmental Management Programme , Stakeholder Engagement

Meeting

Dear Carolyn

Our apologies, it appears we had the incorrect email details on our database, we have updated the details and can

confirm that you are registered as an Interested and Affected Party (I&AP). As such you will receive all further

relevant notifications regarding the proposed project. Please find attached the initial notification email as sent out in

December 2013. Other than the attached and the invitation below no other notifications have been sent out for the

proposed Deepwater Durban project at this stage. Please note that the draft Environmental Management

Programme (EMPr) will be released for public comment during February 2014.

Please do let us know should you have any comments or queries.

Kind regards

Claire Alborough

Consultant

T: +27 21 681 5400

F: +27 21 686 0736

C: +27 (0)72 119 8244

Email: Claire.Alborough@erm.com

From: Carolyn [mailto:afromatz@telkomsa.net] Sent: Thursday, February 06, 2014 8:00 AM

To: Tougheeda Aspeling

Subject: FW: [PORT] FW: Deepwater Durban Environmental Management Programme , Stakeholder Engagement Meeting

Dear Tougheeda

I have become aware of the proposal for studies to be conducted off Durban and it is a concern that ERM has not

notified Coastwatch. I am under the impression that the organisation is listed as an I&AP on the ERM database for

coastal and marine issues in KZN. Please could you register Coastwatch, using the contact details set out below, and

give me further information on the process to date.

Regards

Carolyn Schwegman

For Coastwatch

afromatz@telkomsa.net

P O Box 343 Pennington 4184

Tel: +27 (0) 39 9752147

Cell: +27 (0) 83 981 4814

Fax2email: +27 (0) 86 725 1884

From: A Van Vuuren [mailto:swavv@mweb.co.za]

Sent: 05 February 2014 11:33 PM

To: 'Carolyn'

3

Subject: FW: [PORT] FW: Deepwater Durban Environmental Management Programme , Stakeholder Engagement

Meeting

Hi Carolyn

I assume you received this?

Arnia

From: Campaign_DPE@googlegroups.com [mailto:Campaign_DPE@googlegroups.com] On Behalf Of Desmond

D'Sa,SDCEA Co,ordinator

Sent: 05 February 2014 03:49 PM

To: Campaign_DPE@googlegroups.com Subject: [PORT] FW: Deepwater Durban Environmental Management Programme , Stakeholder Engagement

Meeting

From: Tougheeda Aspeling [mailto:Tougheeda.Aspeling@erm.com]

Sent: 05 February 2014 03:51 PM To: Tougheeda Aspeling

Subject: Deepwater Durban Environmental Management Programme , Stakeholder Engagement Meeting

Dear Stakeholders

Our client, ExxonMobil Exploration & Production South Africa Limited has applied to the Petroleum Agency South

Africa (PASA) for an Exploration Right in the Deepwater Durban Exploration Area offshore of the Durban South Coast

of South Africa (see the PASA map attached – Deepwater Durban Exploration Area outlined in red).

An initial notification and Background Information Document (BID) was sent out on 12 December 2013 to interested

and affected parties regarding the proposed oil and gas exploration in this area (see BID attached). The draft

Environmental Management Programme (EMPr) is being finalised and will be distributed for public comment during

early February 2014.

In this regard, we will be holding a group meeting (in an open house format) in Port Shepstone, please see details

below:

Date: Wednesday, 19 February 2014

Time: 4 – 6 pm

Venue: Umthunzi Hotel, 60 Commercial Rd, Umtentweni, Port Shepstone

RSVP to Tougheeda Aspeling (Email: tougheeda.aspeling@erm.com / Tel: 021 681 5400) should you wish to attend

the meeting.

Please note that we will also be holding focus group meetings with specific interest groups in Durban and

Pietermaritzburg during the week of the 17th

February 2014.

Tougheeda Aspeling Stakeholder Engagement Consultant ERM Southern Africa (Pty) Ltd 2

nd Floor | Great Westerford | 240 Main Road | Rondebosch | 7700 | Cape Town | South Africa

T +27 21 681 5400 | F 086 5404 072 | M +27 84 2066187 E Tougheeda.Aspeling@erm.com| W www.erm.com

4

The world’s leading sustainability consultancy

The world’s leading sustainability consultancy

This electronic mail message may contain information which is (a) LEGALLY PRIVILEGED, PROPRIETARY IN NATURE, OR OTHERWISE PROTECTED BY LAW FROM DISCLOSURE, and (b) intended only for the use of the Addressee (s) names herein. If you are not the Addressee (s), or the person responsible for delivering this to the Addressee (s), you are hereby notified that reading, copying, or distributing this message is prohibited. If you have received this electronic mail message in error, please contact us immediately and take the steps necessary to delete the message completely from your computer system. Thank you. Please visit ERM's web site: http://www.erm.com

This electronic mail message may contain information which is (a) LEGALLY PRIVILEGED, PROPRIETARY IN NATURE, OR OTHERWISE PROTECTED BY LAW FROM DISCLOSURE, and (b) intended only for the use of the Addressee (s) names herein. If you are not the Addressee (s), or the person responsible for delivering this to the Addressee (s), you are hereby notified that reading, copying, or distributing this message is prohibited. If you have received this electronic mail message in error, please contact us immediately and take the steps necessary to delete the message completely from your computer system. Thank you. Please visit ERM's web site: http://www.erm.com

--

You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Campaign_Durban Port

Expansion" group.

To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to

Campaign_DPE+unsubscribe@googlegroups.com.

Visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/Campaign_DPE.

For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/groups/opt_out.

This electronic mail message may contain information which is (a) LEGALLY PRIVILEGED, PROPRIETARY IN NATURE, OR OTHERWISE PROTECTED BY LAW FROM DISCLOSURE, and (b) intended only for the use of the Addressee (s) names herein. If you are not the Addressee (s), or the person responsible for delivering this to the Addressee (s), you are hereby notified that reading, copying, or distributing this message is prohibited. If you have received this electronic mail message in error, please contact us immediately and take the steps necessary to delete the message completely from your computer system. Thank you. Please visit ERM's web site: http://www.erm.com

This electronic mail message may contain information which is (a) LEGALLY PRIVILEGED, PROPRIETARY IN NATURE, OR OTHERWISE PROTECTED BY LAW FROM DISCLOSURE, and (b) intended only for the use of the Addressee (s) names herein. If you are not the Addressee (s), or the person responsible for delivering this to the Addressee (s), you are hereby notified that reading, copying, or distributing this message is prohibited. If you have received this electronic mail message in error, please contact us immediately and take the steps necessary to delete the message completely from your computer system. Thank you. Please visit ERM's web site: http://www.erm.com

No virus found in this message.

Checked by AVG - www.avg.com

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From: Tougheeda Aspeling on behalf of ERM Southern Africa Project Deep WaterTo: "Roshan"Subject: RE:Date: 17 March 2014 11:13:00 AMAttachments: image001.png

Dear Roshan Ramdheen Our apologies for the delayed reply. We registered you as an Interested and Affected Party atthe time of receipt of your email and as such you would have received the subsequent invitationto the additional meeting held in Durban on 18 February 2014. We note that your organisation isaffiliated with the South Durban Community Environmental Alliance (SDCEA) and is thereforeparty to the letter sent by SDCEA dated 21 February 2014 to which we will be respondingshortly. Tougheeda Aspeling Stakeholder Engagement Consultant

ERM Southern Africa (Pty) Ltd2nd Floor | Great Westerford | 240 Main Road | Rondebosch | 7700 | Cape Town | South AfricaT +27 21 681 5400 | F 086 5404 072 | M +27 84 2066187E Tougheeda.Aspeling@erm.com| W www.erm.com

The world’s leading sustainability consultancy

From: Roshan [mailto:ramdheenr@telkomsa.net] Sent: Thursday, February 06, 2014 7:53 AMTo: ERM Southern Africa Project Deep WaterCc: 'Desmond D'Sa-SDCEA Co-ordinator'Subject: Hi Tougheeda AspelingI wish to register my strong opposition to the way that you conduct public participation. Youneed to have a Public meeting in the South Durban basin to explain this project. This documentis highly technical . Are you going to pay for a consultant of our choice to interpret thisdocument for us to enable us to make an informed submission of our concerns?RegardsRoshan RamdheenChairperson Krishna Rabilal FoundationCell 0843063267

From: Tougheeda Aspeling on behalf of ERM Southern Africa Project Deep Water

To: "Neal Naidoo [Transnet NPA DBN]"

Subject: RE: register as i&ap

Date: 06 February 2014 10:58:00 AM

Attachments: image004.pngimage005.wmzimage002.png

Dear Neal

Thank you for your interest in this project. You have been registered as an Interested and Affected Party

(I&AP) and as such you will receive all further relevant notifications regarding the proposed project. Please

note that the draft Environmental Management Programme (EMPr) will be released for public comment

during February 2014.

Please do let us know should you have any comments or queries.

Tougheeda Aspeling Stakeholder Engagement Consultant

ERM Southern Africa (Pty) Ltd

2nd Floor | Great Westerford | 240 Main Road | Rondebosch | 7700 | Cape Town | South Africa

T +27 21 681 5400 | F 086 5404 072 | M +27 84 2066187

E Tougheeda.Aspeling@erm.com| W www.erm.com

The world’s leading sustainability consultancy

From: Neal Naidoo [Transnet NPA DBN] [mailto:Neal.Naidoo@transnet.net] Sent: Thursday, February 06, 2014 9:23 AMTo: ERM Southern Africa Project Deep WaterSubject: register as i&ap

Good morning.Please register me as an Interested and Affected party.

Regards

DISCLAIMER: The information contained in this email and its attachments is bothconfidential and subject to copyright. If you are not the intended recipient, you are herebynotified not to read, disclose copy or use the contents thereof in any manner whatsoever,but are kindly requested to notify the sender and delete it immediately. This e-mailmessage does not create any legally binding contract between Transnet SOC LTD and therecipient, unless the contrary is specifically stated. Statements and opinions expressed ine-mails may not represent those of Transnet SOC LTD. While Transnet will takereasonable precautions, it cannot give any guarantee or warrant that this email will be freeof virus infections, errors, interception and, therefore, cannot be held liable for any loss ordamages incurred by the recipient, as a result of any of the above-mentioned factors.

From: Tougheeda Aspeling

To: "Alice Thomson"

Subject: RE: ExxonMobil Exploration

Date: 06 February 2014 10:58:00 AM

Attachments: image001.pngPASA Exploration and Production Map Feb 2014.pdfDWD BID Final 11122013.pdf

Dear Alice

Thank you for your interest. Please find attached the Background Information Document and

PASA map as requested. We have registered you on our database as an Interested and Affected

Party as such you will receive all further relevant notifications regarding the proposed project.

We will advise on any additional meetings to be held in Durban once confirmed.

Please do let us know should you have any comments or queries.

Kind regards

Tougheeda Aspeling Stakeholder Engagement Consultant

ERM Southern Africa (Pty) Ltd

2nd Floor | Great Westerford | 240 Main Road | Rondebosch | 7700 | Cape Town | South Africa

T +27 21 681 5400 | F 086 5404 072 | M +27 84 2066187

E Tougheeda.Aspeling@erm.com| W www.erm.com

The world’s leading sustainability consultancy

From: Alice Thomson [mailto:alicetho@ispace.co.za] Sent: Wednesday, February 05, 2014 7:34 PMTo: Tougheeda AspelingSubject: ExxonMobil Exploration

Dear Tougheeda

I would like to attend the meeting in Umtentweni.

Please could you keep me informed about the following, please email me all relevantinformation including the PASA map, please inform me about meetings in Durban:

ExxonMobil Exploration & Production South Africa Limited has applied to the PetroleumAgency South Africa (PASA) for an Exploration Right in the Deepwater Durban ExplorationArea offshore of the Durban South Coast of South Africa (see the PASA map attached –Deepwater Durban Exploration Area outlined in red).

An initial notification and Background Information Document (BID) was sent out on 12December 2013 to interested and affected parties regarding the proposed oil and gas explorationin this area (see BID attached). The draft Environmental Management Programme (EMPr) isbeing finalised and will be distributed for public comment during early February 2014.

In this regard, we will be holding a group meeting (in an open house format) in PortShepstone, please see details below:

Date: Wednesday, 19 February 2014Time: 4 – 6 pmVenue: Umthunzi Hotel, 60 Commercial Rd, Umtentweni, Port Shepstone

RSVP to Tougheeda Aspeling (Email: tougheeda.aspeling@erm.com / Tel: 021 681 5400)should you wish to attend the meeting.

Please note that we will also be holding focus group meetings with specific interest groups in

Durban and Pietermaritzburg during the week of the 17th February 2014.

1

Claire Alborough

From: Henry CampSent: 06 February 2014 03:43 PMTo: rassool1@mjvn.co.zaCc: Claire Alborough; Tougheeda AspelingSubject: Inqury regarding the DWD EMPr

Dear Rassool

It was very nice to speak with you and I’ve passed along your details so that you are registered as an I&AP.

The details of the proposed activities are here: www.erm.com/deepwaterdurbanEMPR

As I suggested, could you please provide your comments or concerns in writing.

We will follow-up with you regarding the planned stakeholder meetings tentatively set for 18 to 20 February.

Kindest regards,

Henry

Henry Camp Managing Partner, Impact Assessment and Planning Europe, Middle East, and Africa ERM Southern Africa (Pty) Ltd 2

nd Floor | Great Westerford | 240 Main Road | Rondebosch | 7700 | Cape Town | South Africa

T +27 21 681 5400 | F +27 21 686 0736 | M +27 79 074 3646 E henry.camp@erm.com | W www.erm.com

The world’s leading sustainability consultancy

1

Claire Alborough

From: rassool1 <rassool1@mjvn.co.za>Sent: 07 February 2014 03:55 PMTo: Henry CampCc: Tougheeda Aspeling; Claire AlboroughSubject: RE: communication

Dear Henry and others, thank you for the time and opportunity to communicate and share ideas with you. As a

resident of Durban and Montclair I felt that there a glaring omission in the profile of the project as very few people

seem to know about this and thus few people can engage it enough to qualify as meaningful consultation in the

broadest sense of the word and this has been a problem in the past.

I only became aware of the exploration project by means of a meeting notice posted by an activist group on email

and if this applies to me how many others have not been appraised of the projects and how would the necessary

consultation process be valid and validated by the communities if this be the case. I had no inkling that an

exploration project was in the offing and was, in the consultative sense, seemingly almost a done deal. We also note

with some concern that the project is being objected to, rightly or wrongly, by some parties and that objection

cannot be seen in simplistic terms nor can it be seen in pure shades of black and white with clearly defined lines

drawn in the sand as it has its inherent complexities that will play themselves out in the consultative meetings.

That being said the objection may be a blanket objection that actually has several layers and dimensions that have

not been explored or highlighted as part of an analysis process by all the players or stakeholders or affected parties

in this scenario. There could also be a flawed structural approach to the problem that conflates history and the

historical role played by some of the parties in the past and reignited hostilities that exited then and are coming, or

have come, to the fore now. This dynamic could result, or has resulted, in a negative stalemate that will cost time

and money as well as creating an avoidable hostile environment that will walk with the venture into the future.

At this point the project has the potential of being trapped between the poles of “anti and pro project” entities that

would not lead to a satisfactory and constructive outcome in the short and longer term. Perhaps there needs to be

the creation of a third space where the dynamics of the project could be engaged in a relatively objective

environment where all views are considered without the existent hostilities or histories that do not have a historical

tie to the project.

There is also the aspect of community development and beneficiation that must be engaged and addressed in a

substantive meaningful way.

I do believe that there needs to be an inclusive engagement that will lead to a constructive outcome that is a win-

win situation for all parties concerned

At the risk of being electronically verbose I will leave this matter there and perhaps suggest that we engage this

matter when I am better informed.

Again thank you for the time

Regards

Rassool Snyman

rom: Henry Camp [mailto:Henry.Camp@erm.com]

Sent: 06 February 2014 04:20 PM To: rassool1

2

Cc: Tougheeda Aspeling; Claire Alborough

Subject: RE: communication

Message received, many thanks.

I had already sent you a message as well.

Henry

From: rassool1 [mailto:rassool1@mjvn.co.za] Sent: Thursday, February 06, 2014 4:18 PM

To: Henry Camp

Subject: communication

hi Henry as per our discussion here is mail just to open communication channels

regards

rassool snyman

33 Benson Road

Montclair

Durban

4004

Tel: 031 8279476

Cell: 0835432480

email: rassool1@mjvn.co.za

This electronic mail message may contain information which is (a) LEGALLY PRIVILEGED, PROPRIETARY IN NATURE, OR OTHERWISE PROTECTED BY LAW FROM DISCLOSURE, and (b) intended only for the use of the Addressee (s) names herein. If you are not the Addressee (s), or the person responsible for delivering this to the Addressee (s), you are hereby notified that reading, copying, or distributing this message is prohibited. If you have received this electronic mail message in error, please contact us immediately and take the steps necessary to delete the message completely from your computer system. Thank you. Please visit ERM's web site: http://www.erm.com

No virus found in this message.

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1

Claire Alborough

From: Claire AlboroughSent: 07 February 2014 10:56 AMTo: 'desmond@sdceango.co.za'Cc: Tougheeda Aspeling; Henry CampSubject: RE: PUBLIC MEETING

Dear Mr D’Sa

You spoke with our Stakeholder Engagement Administrator, Tougheeda Aspeling, yesterday morning regarding the

Deepwater Durban stakeholder engagement meeting in the Durban area. From her feedback, I am concerned that

there is a misunderstanding about our intention for stakeholder engagement meetings scheduled to take place 18 –

20 February. As you are aware, ExxonMobil Exploration and Production South Africa Limited (EMEPSAL) has applied

for an Exploration Right for the Deepwater Durban Exploration Area from the Petroleum Agency South Africa and

are currently in the process of conducting an Environmental Management Programme (EMPr). ERM has been

engaged to assist in the preparation of an EMPr as required by the Minerals and Petroleum Resources Development

Act (MPRDA). We are also supporting EMEPSAL with the stakeholder engagement programme associated with the

preparation of the EMPr.

Based on the generally low response to the original project notification and advertisements, we had intended to

hold targeted individual meetings with fisheries, environmental authorities, and with your organisation in the

Durban area. We felt that individual meetings would be a better means to inform and engage the parties that had

expressed interest in the project. We opted for a group meeting in Port Shepstone to engage the KZN South Coast

communities, Municipality representatives and Eastern Cape environmental authority representatives and affected

communities as we did not receive any interest from the stakeholders in this region.

In planning the Durban meetings we spoke to Simitha Bechan who registered SDCEA as an I&AP. On her advice we

tried to contact you on Wednesday to arrange an individual meeting with SDCEA. We apologise for being unable to

connect with you directly before the email notification was sent on Wednesday afternoon.

Given the concern expressed in your email, we have reconsidered our initial plan of having a focus meeting with

SDCEA and are now planning to hold a group meeting in the Durban area on Tuesday, 18 February 2014 from 4pm to

6pm. We are in the process of confirming a venue and we will share the details as soon as we receive confirmation

(at this stage the options are the Austerville Community Hall or one of the following hotels: Garden Court – North

Beach; Suncoast Towers or The Royal Hotel).

We are still willing to hold an individual meeting with SDCEA as we originally planned should you prefer.

We hope this clears up any confusion and we look forward to hearing from you.

Kind regards

Claire Alborough

Consultant

T: +27 21 681 5400

F: +27 21 686 0736

Email: Claire.Alborough@erm.com

From: Tougheeda Aspeling

Sent: Thursday, February 06, 2014 9:02 AM

To: Claire Alborough; Kenneth Kirkby

Subject: FW: PUBLIC MEETING

2

Tougheeda Aspeling Stakeholder Engagement Consultant ERM Southern Africa (Pty) Ltd 2

nd Floor | Great Westerford | 240 Main Road | Rondebosch | 7700 | Cape Town | South Africa

T +27 21 681 5400 | F 086 5404 072 | M +27 84 2066187 E Tougheeda.Aspeling@erm.com| W www.erm.com

The world’s leading sustainability consultancy

From: Desmond D'Sa/SDCEA Co/ordinator [mailto:desmond@sdceango.co.za]

Sent: Wednesday, February 05, 2014 3:56 PM To: Tougheeda Aspeling

Cc: Campaign_DPE@googlegroups.com; 'J Surju'; essopm@telkomsa.net; 'Riaz Khan'; wenzel@saol.com; 'Rory'; 'Roshan'; 'Deepchund Ramchurren'; 'Rake'; 'Dr. B. Seetharam'; 'Sean Chester'; 'Jayan'; naidoop59@gmail.com; 'r2k/

kzn'

Subject: PUBLIC MEETING

Dear Toughfeeda Aspeling

Please can you inform us the community in South Durban ,why a public meeting is not been hosted all along the

coast in various locations or nodes .every part of the Indian Ocean will be affected by your drilling for oil including

the marine life ,other species and human .

We urge you to host the regional meetings .

Desmond

This electronic mail message may contain information which is (a) LEGALLY PRIVILEGED, PROPRIETARY IN NATURE, OR OTHERWISE PROTECTED BY LAW FROM DISCLOSURE, and (b) intended only for the use of the Addressee (s) names herein. If you are not the Addressee (s), or the person responsible for delivering this to the Addressee (s), you are hereby notified that reading, copying, or distributing this message is prohibited. If you have received this electronic mail message in error, please contact us immediately and take the steps necessary to delete the message completely from your computer system. Thank you. Please visit ERM's web site: http://www.erm.com

1

Tougheeda Aspeling

From: Paddy Norman <paddyn@telkomsa.net>Sent: 10 February 2014 08:26 PMTo: Tougheeda AspelingSubject: RE: Deepwater Durban Environmental Management Programme - Stakeholder

Engagement Meeting

Follow Up Flag: Follow upFlag Status: Flagged

Hi there.  Your letter has been forwarded to me as a representative of the Coastwatch group of NGO’s in the Port Shepstone Area. I am not quite sure what the aim is for this meeting, but I can assure you that the proposal has raised some concerns here.  I have contacted both the Coastal Management Committee secretariat, and the South Coast Conservation Forum, and both indicated that they were unaware of this proposal. Marine tourism is a significant and growing occupation on this coastline. Because of the potential impact both on our natural heritage and on our local economy, I would ask that you consult widely.  I would like to attend the meeting in Umtentweni next Wednesday.   Paddy Norman 039‐695‐2827  From: Tougheeda Aspeling [mailto:Tougheeda.Aspeling@erm.com] Sent: 05 February 2014 03:51 PM To: Tougheeda Aspeling Subject: Deepwater Durban Environmental Management Programme - Stakeholder Engagement Meeting  Dear Stakeholders   Our client, ExxonMobil Exploration & Production South Africa Limited has applied to the Petroleum Agency South Africa (PASA) for an Exploration Right in the Deepwater Durban Exploration Area offshore of the Durban South Coast of South Africa (see the PASA map attached – Deepwater Durban Exploration Area outlined in red).   An initial notification and Background Information Document (BID) was sent out on 12 December 2013 to interested and affected parties regarding the proposed oil and gas exploration in this area (see BID attached).  The draft Environmental Management Programme (EMPr) is being finalised and will be distributed for public comment during early February 2014.    In this regard, we will be holding a group meeting (in an open house format) in Port Shepstone, please see details below:   Date: Wednesday, 19 February 2014 Time: 4 – 6 pm Venue: Umthunzi Hotel, 60 Commercial Rd, Umtentweni, Port Shepstone   RSVP to Tougheeda Aspeling (Email: tougheeda.aspeling@erm.com / Tel: 021 681 5400) should you wish to attend the meeting.   Please note that we will also be holding focus group meetings with specific interest groups in Durban and Pietermaritzburg during the week of the 17th February 2014.     

2

  Tougheeda Aspeling Stakeholder Engagement Consultant   ERM Southern Africa (Pty) Ltd  2nd Floor | Great Westerford | 240 Main Road | Rondebosch | 7700 | Cape Town | South Africa T +27 21 681 5400 | F 086 5404 072 | M +27 84 2066187 E Tougheeda.Aspeling@erm.com| W www.erm.com 

  The world’s leading sustainability consultancy 

The world’s leading sustainability consultancy 

      

This electronic mail message may contain information which is (a) LEGALLY PRIVILEGED, PROPRIETARY IN NATURE, OR OTHERWISE PROTECTED BY LAW FROM DISCLOSURE, and (b) intended only for the use of the Addressee (s) names herein. If you are not the Addressee (s), or the person responsible for delivering this to the Addressee (s), you are hereby notified that reading, copying, or distributing this message is prohibited. If you have received this electronic mail message in error, please contact us immediately and take the steps necessary to delete the message completely from your computer system. Thank you. Please visit ERM's web site: http://www.erm.com 

This electronic mail message may contain information which is (a) LEGALLY PRIVILEGED, PROPRIETARY IN NATURE, OR OTHERWISE PROTECTED BY LAW FROM DISCLOSURE, and (b) intended only for the use of the Addressee (s) names herein. If you are not the Addressee (s), or the person responsible for delivering this to the Addressee (s), you are hereby notified that reading, copying, or distributing this message is prohibited. If you have received this electronic mail message in error, please contact us immediately and take the steps necessary to delete the message completely from your computer system. Thank you. Please visit ERM's web site: http://www.erm.com -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Campaign_Durban Port Expansion" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to Campaign_DPE+unsubscribe@googlegroups.com. Visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/Campaign_DPE. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/groups/opt_out.

1

Tougheeda Aspeling

From: Tougheeda Aspeling on behalf of ERM Southern Africa Project Deep WaterSent: 13 March 2014 09:56 AMTo: 'mia@oceanwatchsa.co.za'Subject: RE: Deepwater Durban I&AP Registration

Dear Mia Du Plessis  Apologies for the late reply.  Thank you for your interest in this project. You have been registered as an Interested and Affected Party (I&AP) and as such you will receive all further relevant notifications regarding the proposed project.  Please do let us know should you have any queries.  Yours Sincerely  Tougheeda Aspeling Stakeholder Engagement Consultant  ERM Southern Africa (Pty) Ltd 2nd Floor | Great Westerford | 240 Main Road | Rondebosch | 7700 | Cape Town | South Africa T +27 21 681 5400 | F 086 5404 072  | M +27 84 2066187 E Tougheeda.Aspeling@erm.com| W www.erm.com   The world’s leading sustainability consultancy   ‐‐‐‐‐Original Message‐‐‐‐‐ From: Mia du Plessis [mailto:mia@oceanwatchsa.co.za] Sent: Thursday, February 20, 2014 11:15 AM To: ERM Southern Africa Project Deep Water Subject: Deepwater Durban I&AP Registration  Dear Tougheeda Aspeling,  Submission for registration of Ocean Watch SA (NGO) as I&AP.  Name: Ocean Watch SA  Contact Details: Email: mia@oceanwatchsa.co.za Cell: 082 451 2950  Contact Person: Mia du Plessis  I trust the above is in order. Please advise should you require any addition information.  Regards, Mia du Plessis    

1

Tougheeda Aspeling

From: Tougheeda Aspeling on behalf of ERM Southern Africa Project Deep WaterSent: 25 February 2014 02:19 PMTo: 'Priya Pillay'Subject: RE: Letter of concern regarding the Proposed Oil and Gas Exploration Activities in the

Deepwater Durban Exploration area

Dear Priya Pillay  Thank you for your email. We acknowledge receipt of the SDCEA letter dated 21 February 2014 and will respond in due course.  Kind regards   Tougheeda Aspeling Stakeholder Engagement Consultant ERM Southern Africa (Pty) Ltd 2nd Floor | Great Westerford | 240 Main Road | Rondebosch | 7700 | Cape Town | South Africa T +27 21 681 5400 | F 086 5404 072 | M +27 84 2066187 E Tougheeda.Aspeling@erm.com| W www.erm.com 

  The world’s leading sustainability consultancy

 From: Priya Pillay [mailto:priya@sdceango.co.za] Sent: Friday, February 21, 2014 3:24 PM To: PA.Ministry@daff.gov.za Subject: Letter of concern regarding the Proposed Oil and Gas Exploration Activities in the Deepwater Durban Exploration area  Good day  Please see attached a letter from the South Durban Community Environmental Alliance regarding the Proposed Oil and Gas Exploration Activities in the Deepwater Durban Exploration area, Offshore of the Durban South Coast of South Africa. Thank you   Regards, PRIYA PILLAY SDCEA- Environmental Project Officer EMAIL: priya@sdceango.co.za CELL: 0720354138 TEL: 0314611991 FAX: 0314681257  

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Tougheeda Aspeling

From: Tougheeda Aspeling on behalf of ERM Southern Africa Project Deep WaterSent: 17 March 2014 03:12 PMTo: 'Priya Pillay'Cc: 'raganyag@dwa.gov.za'; 'PA.Ministry@daff.gov.za'Subject: RE: Letter of concern regarding the Proposed Oil and Gas Exploration Activities in the

Deepwater Durban Exploration areaAttachments: DWD SDCEA ERM Response Letter 17032014.pdf

Dear Priya

Please find attached letter from ERM in response to your email below and associated letter, dated 21 February 2014,

from the South Durban Community Environmental Alliance regarding the proposed Deepwater Durban exploration

project Environmental Management Programme. Please do contact us should you have any queries.

Kind Regards

Tougheeda Aspeling Stakeholder Engagement Consultant ERM Southern Africa (Pty) Ltd 2

nd Floor | Great Westerford | 240 Main Road | Rondebosch | 7700 | Cape Town | South Africa

T +27 21 681 5400 | F 086 5404 072 | M +27 84 2066187 E Tougheeda.Aspeling@erm.com| W www.erm.com

The world’s leading sustainability consultancy

From: Priya Pillay [mailto:priya@sdceango.co.za]

Sent: Friday, February 21, 2014 3:24 PM To: PA.Ministry@daff.gov.za

Subject: Letter of concern regarding the Proposed Oil and Gas Exploration Activities in the Deepwater Durban Exploration area

Good day

Please see attached a letter from the South Durban Community Environmental Alliance regarding the Proposed Oil

and Gas Exploration Activities in the Deepwater Durban Exploration area, Offshore of the Durban South

Coast of South Africa.

Thank you

Regards,Regards,Regards,Regards,

PRIYA PILLAY SDCEA� Environmental Project Officer EMAIL: priya@sdceango.co.za CELL: 0720354138 TEL: 0314611991 FAX: 0314681257

Environmental Resources

Management Cape Town Office 2nd Floor, The Great Westerford 240 Main Road Rondebosch 7725 Cape Town South Africa

Tel: +27 (0) 21 681 5400 Fax:+27 (0) 21 686 0736 www.erm.com Postal Address: Postnet Suite 90 Private Bag X12 Tokai, 7966

Registered Company address: Environmental Resources Management Southern Africa (Pty) Ltd Building 32, 1ST Floor The Woodlands Office Park, Woodlands Drive, Woodmead, 2148 Company registration number 2003/001404/07 Directors Bruce Walker (Managing) Grant Bassingthwaighte Jeremy Soboil John Simonson (UK) Tania Swanepoel Offices worldwide A member of the Environmental Resources Management Group

17 March 2014 Mr Desmond Dsa South Durban Community Environmental Alliance (SDCEA) PO Box 211150 Bluff 4036 Durban Kwazulu-Natal Sent via electronic mail to: priya@sdceango.co.za Your ref: ExxonMobil Deepwater Durban Stakeholder Engagement Our ref: 0226484 Dear Mr Dsa Thank you for your letter dated 21 February 2014 and received by ERM on 24 February 2014 (“Letter of Concern regarding the Proposed Oil and Gas Exploration Activities in the Deepwater Durban Exploration area, Offshore of the Durban South Coast of South Africa”). We have prepared the following response which we hope addresses your comments and concerns. PROPOSED PROJECT

Although it is likely you are aware of this information, a brief summary of the proposed project location and activities is provided here for information purposes. The Deepwater Durban Exploration Area, a licence area defined by the relevant authority under the Mineral and Petroleum Resources Development Act (Act 28 of 2002) (MPRDA), is located far from the coast and in deep water. It is approximately 50 km offshore of the East Coast of South Africa at its nearest point. The easternmost extent of the Exploration Area is approximately 380 km from the coast. The total area of the Exploration Area is approximately 50,000 km² with water depths that range from 2,200 to 3,600 metres. Proposed Activities

ExxonMobil Exploration and Production South Africa Limitied (EMEPSAL) have proposed an initial three year exploration programme. The proposed minimum programme would comprise the acquisition of airborne geophysics data (7,000 km2) and the licensing (and possibly acquisition) of 2D seismic survey data (2,600 line km). EMEPSAL may however acquire additional airborne geophysics data (up to a total of 40,000 km2) and licence and acquire up to a total of 4,300 line km 2D seismic survey data.

Environmental Resources Management

Depending on the results from these surveys, the following activities may then be undertaken: • 2D and/or 3D seismic surveys • Seabed surface heat flow measurements • Seabed and water column sampling • Multibeam echo sounder and sub-bottom profile survey • Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (AUV) survey The additional activities would be carried out in sequence or parallel and the schedule for these activities has not yet been determined and would be dependent on the result of the initial surveys. Note that no exploratory drilling activities are proposed for the initial three year Exploration Right period. SUMMARY OF THE STAKEHOLDER ENGAGEMENT PROCESS

Introduction

Many of your comments reference the stakeholder engagement process and we would like to provide a summary of the actions that were taken during the process of preparing the Environmental Management Programme (EMPr). The requirements of the Mineral and Petroleum Resources Development Act (Act 28 of 2002) (MPRDA) applicable to oil and gas exploration activities were followed for the stakeholder engagement process. As per Section 79 of the MPRDA, oil and gas exploration requires the submission of an application for an Exploration Right to the Petroleum Agency of South Africa (PASA), the designated oversight agency. The application requires the subsequent submission of an EMPr within 120 days following notice of acceptance of the application. Stakeholder Engagement

In order to engage stakeholders during the 120 day period, the following actions were carried out:

• The project was announced to the initially identified interested and

affected parties in early December 2013 following PASA’s acceptance

of the Exploration Right application on 22 November 2013. General

public notification was made by newspaper advertisement on

Thursday, 12 December and Friday, 13 December 2013 in The Times,

South Coast Herald, PE Herald, Mercury, Upper Coast Fever, and South

Coast Fever. These newspapers were selected to reach national,

provincial, and local (i.e., small towns) stakeholders.

Environmental Resources Management

• Information about the project was made available on a website on 12

December 2013. Information was also provided directly to those that

requested it.

• Potential stakeholder groups and individuals were identified for

direct contact. More than 150 potential Interested and Affected

Parties (I&APs) were identified. Stakeholders were contacted

directly via electronic mail and/or telephone. A copy of the project’s

Background Information Document (BID) was provided and

instruction was provided for those that wished to comment. SDCEA

was contacted directly during this period.

• Comments were solicited from stakeholders during an initial

notification period of 21 calendar days. This occurred from 12

December 2013 to 20 January 2014 (excluding the holiday period of 15

December 2013 to 2 January 2014) therefore the notice period was in

fact 39 days.

• During the initial notification period of the stakeholder engagement

process, seven I&APs registered or provided comment, among all

stakeholders contacted directly and indirectly through the process.

• The draft EMPr was disclosed on 7 February 2014 for public review

and comment for 30 days (until 10 March 2014). Registered I&APs

were again contacted and notified directly about the availability of

the document. SDCEA was notified at this stage.

• Additional public participation notice via newspapers commenced

during the week of 2 March 2014, in order to make the public aware

of the availability of the EMPr document at public libraries. Notices

were in English, isiZulu, and isiXhosa.

• The draft EMPr is available to stakeholders that request it. Hardcopies of the document have been placed in eight public libraries: Port Shepstone Public Library, Amanzimtoti Public Library, Margate Public Library, Austerville Public Library, Durban Public Library, Ballito Public Library, Richards Bay Public Library and KwaDukuza Public Library.

• All comments received and responses provided through 10 March

2014 will be documented and included in the EMPr. The final EMPr

will be submitted to PASA on the deadline of 18 March 2014.

Environmental Resources Management

MEETINGS

Overview

In addition to the written disclosures of the draft EMPr, a series of meetings were held to increasethe engagement with potentially interested parties. These meetings are not required under the MPRDA. The meetings focused on the following groups that had explicitly expressed interest in the project and/or that were identified as potentially affected stakeholders.

• Interested public groups in Durban

• Interested public groups in Port Shepstone

• Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife

• KZN provincial government environmental authorities

• Commercial fishing groups (including a representative from the

Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries)

The format of the meetings was intended to facilitate discussion of the project. Face-to-face meetings were held with Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife, KZN environmental authorities, and commercial fishing groups (18, 19 and 21 February respectively). These were approximately 2 hours long and involved a short introduction presentation and then an open discussion. As you are aware, we contacted SDCEA directly and offered to meet face-to-face. Your organisation however requested that a group meeting be held which you then attended. As you are aware, the group meetings held in Durban and in Port Shepstone (on 18 and 19 February respectively) were an ‘open house’ style. Nine informational posters were displayed around the room describing various aspects of the project, the environmental review conducted, and key mitigations. There were representatives from EMEPSAL and ERM standing near each of the posters to present the information, answer questions, and gather concerns. BIDs were available as well as I&AP comment sheets and instructions to allow parties an opportunity to capture their comments in their own words. The timing of the open meeting (4pm to 6pm) allowed people

representing in an official capacity (government or professionally) to

attend at 4 pm as part of their work day and private individuals to attend

after typical working hours.

The meeting format was specified in the meeting invitations. The open

house format is widely accepted for such engagements and provides a

means for engaging small groups of interested parties with diverse

views. It allows for efficient engagement as specific questions or

Environmental Resources Management

concerns of an individual or group can be discussed. It is preferred over

a town meeting style approach where a minority opinion group might

not have their queries or concerns addressed. The open house format

also allows participants to participate on a rolling time basis and not be

constrained to a specific timing.

The meeting locations were selected based on the locations of registered

I&APs and the interest shown in the project. The distance of the

proposed project offshore (approximately 50 km at the closest point and

360 km at the furthest point) and the minimal impacts on coastal

communities were taken into consideration in deciding on meeting

locations.

The team facilitating the meetings had English, Afrikaans, and isiZulu

language capability. One discussion in the Durban meeting began in

isiZulu but the participants requested that the discussion continue in

English instead.

Outcome of the Meetings

The meetings were successful in that we were able to engage with a variety and number of interested parties and discuss the project further. A number of stakeholders participated in the process and offered their comments openly. We are preparing a summary of the comments and concerns raised during the meeting to be included in the report to PASA. As you know, we made attempts to engage with you and your

organisation during the course of the Durban meeting.

Environmental Resources Management

BACKGROUND INFORMATION DOCUMENT

Your comments on the BID are noted. This document is intended to provide background and some level of detail on the proposed activities. Because some of the activities are technical, the document text is by its nature somewhat technical. It is however written for the general public. Regarding the impact assessment and the environmental management process, this is fully discussed in the EMPr. The concluding chapter provides a concise and simple summary of the project, the process that was undertaken to assess impacts, and the actions that will be taken to protect the environment. As mentioned, the EMPr is available on the referenced website and as hardcopy in the public libraries mentioned above. CLIMATE CHANGE

As described in the EMPr, the impact assessments evaluated environmental impacts on resources such as marine fauna, benthic ecology, air quality, and water quality among others. Furthermore, the assessments evaluated impacts on commercial fishing and the economy as well. These assessments were carried out by ERM specialists supported by national experts on certain topics. The proposed activities include only exploration-phase geophysical and geotechnical surveys. As described in the EMPr, these are vessel or airplane based activities. Given the nature of the proposed activities, impact on climate change is comparable to other existing sea going vessels and small plane operators. There are no activities that will generate or release significant quantities of greenhouse gases. Any further research would therefore not have provided any benefit to the assessment of impacts at this stage of the proposed project.

Environmental Resources Management

CLOSING

We hope that this information addresses your inquiry and the concerns of you and your organisation. We are happy to answer any additional questions or concerns you might have. Kindest regards,

Henry Camp Claire Alborough Partner Project Manager Copied to: Gail Raganya, PA to the Minister, Department of Environmental Affairs (raganyag@dwa.gov.za) Rhoda Mackier (Private Secretary to the Minister, Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries) (PA.Ministry@daff.gov.za)

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Tougheeda Aspeling

From: Tougheeda Aspeling on behalf of ERM Southern Africa Project Deep WaterSent: 27 February 2014 12:25 PMTo: celestepatrick@cellc.blackberry.com; ERM Southern Africa Project Deep WaterSubject: RE:

Dear Celeste  Thank you for your interest in the project.   In response to your query the following meetings were held last week regarding the Deepwater Durban Project:  * Durban Group Meeting (in an open house format) ‐ 18 February 2014 * Port Shepstone Group Meeting (in an open house format) ‐ 19 February 2014 * Focus meeting with Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife ‐ 18 February 2014 * Focus meeting with KZN Environmental Authorities ‐ 19 February 2014 * Focus meeting with representatives of pelagic long‐line fishing organisations ‐ 21 February 2014  Please note that the draft EMPr is available for comment and can be downloaded from our website: http://www.erm.com/deepwaterdurbanEMPR. Copies are also available in the following libraries: Port Shepstone Public Library, Amazimtoti Public Library, Margate Public Library, Austerville Public Library, Durban Public Library, Balito Public Library, Richards Bay Public Library and KwaDukuza Public Library.   If possible please could you provide us with further contact information in order that we can register you as an interested and affected party on our database.  Please do contact us should you have any comments or queries.  Kind regards  Tougheeda Aspeling Stakeholder Engagement Consultant  ERM Southern Africa (Pty) Ltd 2nd Floor | Great Westerford | 240 Main Road | Rondebosch | 7700 | Cape Town | South Africa T +27 21 681 5400 | F 086 5404 072  | M +27 84 2066187 E Tougheeda.Aspeling@erm.com| W www.erm.com   The world’s leading sustainability consultancy  ‐‐‐‐‐Original Message‐‐‐‐‐ From: celeste patrick [mailto:celestepatrick@cellc.blackberry.com] Sent: Saturday, February 22, 2014 9:14 AM To: ERM Southern Africa Project Deep Water Subject:   Hi give us more info on your meetings celesteSent from my BlackBerry® 

1

Tougheeda Aspeling

From: Tougheeda Aspeling on behalf of ERM Southern Africa Project Deep WaterSent: 11 March 2014 08:48 PMTo: 'celestepatrick@cellc.blackberry.com'Subject: RE: Re:

Dear Eugene  We are currently preparing the meeting minutes for the Ezemvelo meeting which we will distribute to meeting attendees for comment before including them in the Stakeholder Engagement Report. The Engagement report will be appended to the Final EMPr to be submitted to PASA on or before 18 March 2014 and distributed to all stakeholders. We can provide you with a copy of the minutes directly once they are available publically.  Please do call me should you wish to discuss further.   Tougheeda Aspeling Stakeholder Engagement Consultant  ERM Southern Africa (Pty) Ltd 2nd Floor | Great Westerford | 240 Main Road | Rondebosch | 7700 | Cape Town | South Africa T +27 21 681 5400 | F 086 5404 072  | M +27 84 2066187 E Tougheeda.Aspeling@erm.com| W www.erm.com   The world’s leading sustainability consultancy   ‐‐‐‐‐Original Message‐‐‐‐‐ From: celeste patrick [mailto:celestepatrick@cellc.blackberry.com] Sent: Thursday, February 27, 2014 10:15 PM To: ERM Southern Africa Project Deep Water Subject: Re:  Eugene roderick patrick. Cell 0785334176 I'm a. Member k Z N substince fishermans forum ‐‐‐‐‐‐Original Message‐‐‐‐‐‐ From: ERM Southern Africa Project Deep Water Sender: Tougheeda Aspeling To: celeste patrick To: ERM Southern Africa Project Deep Water Subject: RE: Sent: 27 Feb 2014 12:24  Dear Celeste  Thank you for your interest in the project.   In response to your query the following meetings were held last week regarding the Deepwater Durban Project:  * Durban Group Meeting (in an open house format) ‐ 18 February 2014 * Port Shepstone Group Meeting (in an open house format) ‐ 19 February 2014 * Focus meeting with Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife ‐ 18 February 2014 * Focus meeting with KZN Environmental Authorities ‐ 19 February 2014 * Focus meeting with representatives of pelagic long‐line fishing organisations ‐ 21 February 2014  

2

Please note that the draft EMPr is available for comment and can be downloaded from our website: http://www.erm.com/deepwaterdurbanEMPR. Copies are also available in the following libraries: Port Shepstone Public Library, Amazimtoti Public Library, Margate Public Library, Austerville Public Library, Durban Public Library, Balito Public Library, Richards Bay Public Library and KwaDukuza Public Library.   If possible please could you provide us with further contact information in order that we can register you as an interested and affected party on our database.  Please do contact us should you have any comments or queries.  Kind regards  Tougheeda Aspeling Stakeholder Engagement Consultant  ERM Southern Africa (Pty) Ltd 2nd Floor | Great Westerford | 240 Main Road | Rondebosch | 7700 | Cape Town | South Africa T +27 21 681 5400 | F 086 5404 072  | M +27 84 2066187 E Tougheeda.Aspeling@erm.com| W www.erm.com   The world's leading sustainability consultancy  ‐‐‐‐‐Original Message‐‐‐‐‐ From: celeste patrick [mailto:celestepatrick@cellc.blackberry.com] Sent: Saturday, February 22, 2014 9:14 AM To: ERM Southern Africa Project Deep Water Subject:   Hi give us more info on your meetings celesteSent from my BlackBerry®  celesteSent from my BlackBerry® 

1

Tougheeda Aspeling

From: Tougheeda Aspeling on behalf of ERM Southern Africa Project Deep WaterSent: 13 March 2014 09:53 AMTo: 'Alice Thomson'Subject: RE: ExxonMobil application comments

Dear Alice Thomson  Thank you for your email. We acknowledge receipt of the Earthlife Africa Durban’s letter dated 11 March 2014 and will respond in due course.  Tougheeda Aspeling Stakeholder Engagement Consultant ERM Southern Africa (Pty) Ltd 2nd Floor | Great Westerford | 240 Main Road | Rondebosch | 7700 | Cape Town | South Africa T +27 21 681 5400 | F 086 5404 072 | M +27 84 2066187 E Tougheeda.Aspeling@erm.com| W www.erm.com 

  The world’s leading sustainability consultancy

 From: Alice Thomson [mailto:alicetho@ispace.co.za] Sent: Tuesday, March 11, 2014 7:54 AM To: ERM Southern Africa Project Deep Water Subject: Re: ExxonMobil application comments Dear Tougheeda Please ignore my previous email and accept this attachment with some added comments. Sorry for the late submission.   Yours sincerely Alice Thomson  From: Alice Thomson Sent: Monday, March 10, 2014 8:50 PM To: deepwaterdurban@erm.com Subject: ExxonMobil application comments   Dear Tougheeda   Please find attached Earthlife Africa Durban’s comments on ExxonMobil’s application for an Exploration Right to explore for oil and gas reserves off the East coast.   Yours sincerely   Alice Thomson   031 465 9038 

Earthlife Africa Durban Tel: 031 465 9038 │ 071 621 8305 email: earthlife.durban@gmail.com

Website: www.earthlife.org.za

Committee members: Alice Thompson, Vanessa Black, Delwyn Pillay, Smitha (Dimple) Deonath, China Ngubane

Environment Resources Management Southern Africa Dear Sir/Madam ExxonMobil application: Exploration Right to explore for oil and gas reserves in the Deepwater Durban Exploration Area Representatives of Earthlife Africa Durban attended the public participation meeting regarding the above application in Austerville, Durban. We have a number of grave concerns regarding Exxon-Mobil’s application to explore for oil and gas. Public Participation Process We are concerned about the manner in which the public participation took place. Firstly the process should have been widely advertised. Since the people living along the coast right from Durban to East London could be affected by the development, the process should have been advertised in all the local newspapers distributed in all these areas as well as on the local radio stations used and in all languages used. Your consultancy did not follow the usual format for public participation consisting of a presentation with time for comments and questions from the floor. This meant that there was no meaningful debate. Instead ERMSA used boards with posters on display and Exxon-Mobil consultants spoke to small groups of people. You did not take comments except in written form. This is not meaningful public participation. It excludes other language users as well as those who have excellent justification for their concerns, yet cannot put this down in writing within the timeframe your stipulated. For this to be considered as a legitimate consultation, you should give the public enough notice and enough time to deliberate and reach consensus about their objections, concerns or input. ERMSA only held 2 public participation meetings. However, due to ocean currents, this development could affect the coast from Durban to East London including the Wild Coast, one of Africa’s most beautiful coastlines. Public participation meetings need to take place in all local municipalities along this stretch of coast. ERMSA needs to advertise in all the languages used especially Xhosa and Zulu in newspapers as well as on the radio. All the information needs to be made available in Xhosa and Zulu and translation should be provided at the meetings. Many people rely on the coast for their livelihoods through tourism and fishing as well as for recreation and spiritual upliftment. These people need to be made aware of the application and its implications for the coastal environment. Peak Oil The consultants have not taken certain factors into consideration including peak oil and climate change. Peak oil is the point in time when the maximum rate of petroleum extraction is reached, after which the rate of production is expected to enter terminal decline. Exxon-Mobil’s own spokesman, William Cunnings, said “All the easy oil and gas has pretty much been found. Now comes the hard work in finding and producing oil from more challenging environments and work areas”. Oil exploration now takes place in areas where extraction is more expensive, such as extremely deep wells, environmentally sensitive areas and areas where high technology is required. As conventional oil becomes less available, this leads to production of liquids from environmentally destructive methods such as tar sands, agro-fuel and shale oil. These make more use

of other finite resources. According to the Association for the Study of Peak Oil (ASPO), the peak of world oilfield discoveries occurred in 1965 and the rate of discovery has been falling steadily since. We suggest that the consultants explore real alternatives to oil exploration. We believe that instead of putting hard work into oil exploration, SA needs to put hard work into alternatives. These alternatives include:

1. Improving Public Transport

SA needs to reduce demand for oil by improving alternatives to the private car through the provision of safe, comfortable, reliable, efficient and affordable public transport. The rapid transit system needs to be rolled out in all towns and cities. Rail transportation for freight and passengers needs to be improved and subsidised. Cycling needs to be promoted as a form of commuter transport and cycle lanes need to be established on commuter routes in all towns and cities. 2. Agro-ecology

The dominant agricultural practices rely heavily on fossil fuel inputs in the form of diesel, and fertilisers. There needs to be a shift away from these environmentally destructive practices which not only rely on diminishing oil reserves but also poison the water and our bodies through the use of pesticide while degrading the soils. Such a shift would have many other spin-offs such as increasing the number of jobs in agriculture, increasing biodiversity on farm-land , reducing the use of costly inputs, and reducing costs of health care. 3. Renewable Energy

As well as reducing demand for oil, the consultants need to explore alternative forms of energy such as wind, solar, biogas digesters using sewage and animal waste, geothermal, tidal wave power etc.

Climate Change

The consultants have made no mention of the impacts of climate change. According to a study, published by Earthlife Africa and Oxfam International (http://www.earthlife.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2009/02/cc2_single_pages.pdf), in climate terms, SA is already living on the edge. Much of it is arid/ semi-arid and the whole country is subject to droughts and floods. Even small variations in rainfall/temperatures would exacerbate this already stressed environment. Most of SA’s crops are grown in areas where water supplies are already limited. Due to rising global emissions of Green house gases, the SA climate is set to change for the worse. Already dry seasons are becoming longer and wet seasons are starting later. Rainfall is reported to become more variable, with rain coming in more concentrated, violent bursts. It is SA’s poor that will be the hardest hit. SA is the largest emitter of green house gases on the African continent. Although our per capita emission rate of 10 tons of CO2 is 43% higher than the global average, 10% of the population is responsible for 90% of emissions. Were Exxon-Mobil to drill for oil this would increase SA’s emissions which we can ill-afford. As the slogan goes “Keep the oil in the soil, and keep the coal in the hole”. Job creation

In the US it is estimated that there are only 12 500 jobs in off-shore drilling. These tend to highly skilled jobs and therefore it is likely that SA will not have people with the necessary skills and skilled people will need to be brought in from other countries. Many more jobs could be created from moving away from fossil-fuels through researching and implementing renewable energy, public transport and agro-ecology. Sonar and Seismic testing These forms of testing have been shown to be harmful to marine life. Numerous people in South Africa make a living from fishing and tourism that will be harmed by the damage to marine life resulting from the testing process. We also have immense marine biodiversity that it is our duty to protect. In particular large mammals are only just returning to our shores and South African waters are extremely important feeding and breeding grounds. Exxon-Mobil’s Environmental track record ExxonMobil has an appalling environmental record and we cannot allow exploration for oil off our coast to go ahead. ExxonMobil is responsible for many oil spills including the Exxon Valdez oil spill in Alaska in 1989. As a result 11 million US gallons of oil were discharged resulting in the estimated deaths of 250 000 seabirds, 2800 sea otters, 300 harbor seals and countless other marine life. The fishing industry has still not recovered. Other spills were Exxon’s Brooklyn oil spill which released about 30 million gallons, as well as the Baton Rouge refinery leak in June 2012 which leaked 28 688 pounds of benzene, 10 882 pounds of toulene as well as other toxic chemicals. ExxonMobil is responsible for the Yellowstone river oil spill where a pipeline break leaked 159 000 litres of oil into the Yellowstone river. The oil was detected 240 miles from the breach. In 2013, the US Department of Justice and the State of Arkansas filed a lawsuit suing ExxonMobil over the rupture of the company’s Pegasus pipeline which spilled thousands of barrels of crude tar sands oil over the town of Mayflower, Arkansas. Following the rupture, the oil poured into a residential neighbourhood before making its way into nearby waterways. Some residents were forced to evacuate their homes while others suffered headaches, dizziness, and other health problems from the perpetual presence of “toxic benzene” in the air surrounding the spill. The communities of South Durban in particular are already suffering the burden of diseases, ill health and terminal illnesses due the heavy industrial pollutants emitted by Engen, Sapref, Mondi and other chemical companies in the South Basin. A massive oil spill from an oil rig would add to this burden. ExxonMobil(EM) is the target of human rights activists for actions taken by the corporation in Indonesia. A lawsuit was filed alleging that EM knowingly assisted human rights violations including torture, murder and rape by employing and providing material support to Indonesian military forces. In Pennsylvania, criminal charges were filed against EM for illegally dumping tens of thousands of fracking waste at a drilling site in 2010. EM funds organisations working to confuse the public about broad scientific consensus on the causes of and solutions to global warming. EM blocks progress on global warming and has pushed for drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.

Could we face the situation with massive oil spills decimating our coast, destroying the fishing, tourism and recreational services that it provides? We cannot even allow this company to explore for oil given its track record. Due to the overwhelming evidence of harm to people and the environment locally and globally that the proposed exploration process as well as actual oil extraction represents, Earthlife Africa Durban strongly object to the proposed Exxon Mobil project.

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Tougheeda Aspeling

From: Tougheeda Aspeling on behalf of ERM Southern Africa Project Deep WaterSent: 17 March 2014 03:21 PMTo: 'Alice Thomson'Subject: RE: ExxonMobil application commentsAttachments: DWD Earthlife ERM Response Letter 17032014.pdf

Dear Ms Thomson

Please find attached letter in response to your comments on the Deepwater Durban Environmental Management

Programme (EMPr) made in the Earthlife Africa Durban letter dated 11 March 2014. Please do contact us should you

have any queries.

Kind regards

Tougheeda Aspeling Stakeholder Engagement Consultant ERM Southern Africa (Pty) Ltd 2

nd Floor | Great Westerford | 240 Main Road | Rondebosch | 7700 | Cape Town | South Africa

T +27 21 681 5400 | F 086 5404 072 | M +27 84 2066187 E Tougheeda.Aspeling@erm.com| W www.erm.com

The world’s leading sustainability consultancy

From: Alice Thomson [mailto:alicetho@ispace.co.za]

Sent: Tuesday, March 11, 2014 7:54 AM

To: ERM Southern Africa Project Deep Water Subject: Re: ExxonMobil application comments

Dear Tougheeda

Please ignore my previous email and accept this attachment with some added comments. Sorry for the late

submission.

Yours sincerely

Alice Thomson

From: Alice Thomson Sent: Monday, March 10, 2014 8:50 PM

To: deepwaterdurban@erm.com Subject: ExxonMobil application comments

Dear Tougheeda

Please find attached Earthlife Africa Durban’s comments on ExxonMobil’s application for an Exploration

Right to explore for oil and gas reserves off the East coast.

Yours sincerely

Alice Thomson

2

031 465 9038

Environmental Resources

Management Cape Town Office 2nd Floor, The Great Westerford 240 Main Road Rondebosch 7725 Cape Town South Africa

Tel: +27 (0) 21 681 5400 Fax:+27 (0) 21 686 0736 www.erm.com Postal Address: Postnet Suite 90 Private Bag X12 Tokai, 7966

Registered Company address: Environmental Resources Management Southern Africa (Pty) Ltd Building 32, 1ST Floor The Woodlands Office Park, Woodlands Drive, Woodmead, 2148 Company registration number 2003/001404/07 Directors Bruce Walker (Managing) Grant Bassingthwaighte Jeremy Soboil John Simonson (UK) Tania Swanepoel Offices worldwide A member of the Environmental Resources Management Group

17 March 2014 Ms Alice Thomson Earthlife Africa Durban Sent via electronic mail to: alicetho@ispace.co.za Your ref: ExxonMobil Deepwater Durban Stakeholder Engagement Our ref: 0226484 Dear Ms Thomson Thank you for your letter received by Environmental Resources Management (ERM) on 11 March 2014 (“ExxonMobil application: Exploration Right to explore for oil and gas reserves in the Deepwater Durban Exploration Area”). We have prepared the following in response to your comments and concerns. PROPOSED PROJECT

Although it is likely you are aware of this information, a brief summary of the proposed project location and activities is provided here for information purposes. The Deepwater Durban Exploration Area, a licence area defined by the relevant authority under the Mineral and Petroleum Resources Development Act (Act 28 of 2002) (MPRDA), is located far from the coast and in deep water. It is approximately 50 km offshore of the East Coast of South Africa at its nearest point. The easternmost extent of the Exploration Area is approximately 380 km from the coast. The total area of the Exploration Area is approximately 50,000 km² with water depths that range from 2,200 to 3,600 metres. Proposed Activities

ExxonMobil Exploration and Production South Africa Limited (EMEPSAL) have proposed an initial three year exploration programme comprised of the following activities that may be undertaken:

• 2D and/or 3D seismic surveys

• Seabed surface heat flow measurements

• Seabed and water column sampling

• Multibeam echo sounder and sub-bottom profile survey

• Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (AUV) survey The proposed programme does not include any exploration drilling.

Environmental Resources Management

PUBLIC PARTICIPATION PROCESS

As per Section 79 of the MPRDA, oil and gas exploration requires the submission of an application for an Exploration Right to the Petroleum Agency of South Africa (PASA), the designated agency. The application requires the subsequent submission of an EMPr within 120 days following notice of acceptance of the application. The requirements of the Mineral and Petroleum Resources Development Act (Act 28 of 2002) (MPRDA) applicable to oil and gas exploration activities were followed for the stakeholder engagement process. For a detailed description of the stakeholder engagement process undertaken, please see Chapter 4, Consultation with Interested and Affected Parties of the EMPr. Further, as you are an affiliated organization of the South Durban Community Environmental Alliance (SDCEA) we refer you to our letter dated 14 March 2014 in response to similar comments made by SDCEA (attached). All comments received and responses provided through 10 March 2014

will be documented and included in the EMPr. The final EMPr will be

submitted to PASA on the deadline of 18 March 2014. Your comments

will be included.

PEAK OIL AND ALTERNATIVES

In 1996, the Soekor Petroleum Licensing Unit, now the Petroleum Agency of South Africa (PASA), was created with the prime function of attracting international exploration companies to prospect for offshore oil and gas. While oil and other fossil fuels are indeed finite, they are far from finished. ExxonMobil has indicated that they look forward to working with the South Africa government to explore for oil and gas and believe there is potential for significant benefits to the South Africa economy. Your identification of alternatives to reduce the use of fossil fuels is noted and your letter will be included in final EMPr as matter of record.

Environmental Resources Management

CLIMATE CHANGE

As described in the EMPr, the assessment process included a screening to determine which activities may interact with environmental and social resources and receptors. This was followed with a scoping step to determine if the interaction has the potential for significant effects. The proposed activities include only exploration-phase geophysical and geotechnical surveys. As described in the EMPr, these are marine vessel or airplane based activities. Given the nature of the proposed activities, impact on air quality and climate change is comparable to that of other marine vessels and small planes that operate in the area. There are no proposed activities that generate or release significant quantities of air pollutants or greenhouse gases. Therefore, the impact of exploration-phase activities on climate change was not assessed further. ExxonMobil has indicated the following with regards to climate change: ‘ExxonMobil’s strategy to reduce Green House Gas (GHG) emissions focuses on increasing our own energy efficiency in the short term, implementing current proven emissions-reducing technologies in the medium term, and developing breakthrough technologies in the long term. In recent years, ExxonMobil has invested more than $2 billion in activities that reduce greenhouse gas emissions and improve energy efficiency and is continuing to invest in new efforts and technologies.’ JOB CREATION

The proposed activities assessed in the EMPr include only exploration-phase geophysical and geotechnical surveys; no exploration drilling will occur. As discussed in Chapter 6 of the EMPr local job creation linked to these activities is negligible due to the specialised nature of the work and the short duration of the activities. It is acknowledged that minimal job opportunities would be available for local people at this stage, but EMEPSAL has committed to ensuring local contractors are used wherever feasible.

Environmental Resources Management

SONAR AND SEISMIC TESTING

ERM has extensive experience with the environmental issues associated with seismic surveys. Our search for information on the effects of sonar and seismic testing has not found any peer-reviewed scientific studies that indicate that seismic surveys have resulted in physical injury to marine mammals or population-level impacts on marine mammal species. On this question we note the following from the United States where these activities have been occurring for some time:

• The US National Academy of Sciences’ National Research Council has stated: ‘No scientific studies have conclusively demonstrated a link between exposure to [air-gun] sound and adverse effects on a marine mammal population.’

• NOAA Fisheries, the agency responsible for administration of the Marine Mammal Protection Act in the US stated in a 2012 public filing regarding seismic surveys: ‘To date, there is no evidence that serious injury, death or stranding by marine mammals can occur from exposure to air-gun pulses, even in the case of large air-gun arrays.’

We refer you also to the EMPr where the environmental and socio-economic impacts associated with the proposed seismic survey and multi-beam bathymetric survey have been assessed in Chapters 5 and 6. Potential impacts to marine fauna were assessed in a study undertaken by South African specialist Dr. Andrea Pulfrich of Pisces Environmental Services and have been summarised in Chapter 5, the full specialist report is attached in Part C. Potential interaction between the multi-beam bathymetric survey and cetaceans is discussed in Section 5.2.7; impacts are considered to be insignificant. Potential impacts on marine fauna relating to seismic surveys are assessed in detail in Section 5.4.2. Potential impacts to fishing were assessed in a study undertaken by South African specialist, David Japp of CapFish and have been summarised in Chapter 6, the full specialist report is attached in Part C. Potential interaction between the multi-beam bathymetric survey and fishing is discussed in Section 6.2.8; impacts are considered to be insignificant. Potential impacts on fishing relating to seismic surveys are assessed in Section 6.3.3. Given the location of the Exploration Area, there is the potential for survey activities to interact with large pelagic fishing activities (long-lining) only. The specialist studies were reviewed by ERM’s experts who also provided input. Please see the EMPr text for detailed explanation of the impact assessment and designation of mitigation measures.

Environmental Resources Management

Further on these issues, ExxonMobil have provided the following in response to the comment made regarding seismic and sonar testing and potential harm to marine life: ‘The oil and gas industry has demonstrated the ability to operate seismic exploration activities in a manner that protects marine life. Marine seismic exploration is carefully regulated and managed by the operator to avoid impacting marine animals.

Industry continually monitors the effectiveness of the mitigation strategies it employs and funds research to better understand interactions between exploration and production operations and marine mammals. Nevertheless, the industry implements mitigation measures to further reduce the negligible risk of harm to marine mammals. The key mitigation measures include:

• Environmental assessment and impact studies

• Temporal and spatial operations

• Marine mammal observers

• Exclusion zones

• Soft starts

• Passive Acoustic Monitoring (PAM)’

EXXONMOBIL ENVIRONMENTAL PERFORMANCE

Your comments about ExxonMobil and the company’s environmental performance are noted. Most of your comments are reference to issues that are beyond the scope of the EMPr process. Regarding environmental management related to the proposed activities, please note that exploration drilling is not being proposed at this time so there is no possibility of an oil spill from drilling. Also note that ExxonMobil has demonstrated that systems are in place to support the management of environmental and social protection. Regarding your comments ExxonMobil provided the following in response: ‘The 1989 grounding of the Exxon Valdez in Alaska was an unfortunate and regrettable accident, which we deeply regret. This accident served to focus our energies on establishing a comprehensive Operations Integrity Management System (OIMS) that, among other features, aims for zero marine safety incidents. We have been using this system for a number of years to assess and improve our safety, health and environmental performance. ExxonMobil deeply regrets the other spill incidents mentioned in your letter. We mobilized all available resources to contain and clean up the spills while

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maintaining the safety of response personnel and protecting environmental and wildlife resources. Our goal is to manage risk to avoid incidents such as these. But it is also important that if they do occur, we have the competency and the capability to respond and a process to integrate lessons learned into future operations to reduce the risk of reoccurrence. When assessing potential impacts to water or land, spill prevention is a top priority. ExxonMobil’s OIMS requirements help prevent spills by building in layers of redundancy, outlining procedures for the proper inspection and maintenance of equipment, providing comprehensive training materials for our operators, emphasizing regular performance of tests and drills, and allowing us to maintain a relentless focus on safety. In 2012, we maintained our commitment to spill prevention and improved performance relative to 2011. With regards to your allegations of ExxonMobil knowingly assisting in human rights violations in Indonesia, ExxonMobil has fought the baseless claims for many years. The plaintiffs’ claims are without merit. While conducting its business in Indonesia, ExxonMobil has worked for generations to improve the quality of life in Aceh through employment of local workers, provision of health services and extensive community investment. The company strongly condemns human rights violations in any form.’ CLOSING

We hope that this information and associated references clarify the potential impacts of the proposed activities and address the concerns you and your organisation have raised as they pertain to the proposed activities. Respectfully,

Henry Camp Claire Alborough Partner Project Manager Attachment: ERM letter to SDCEA dated 17 March 2014

Attachment

ERM Letter to SDCEA

Environmental Resources

Management Cape Town Office 2nd Floor, The Great Westerford 240 Main Road Rondebosch 7725 Cape Town South Africa

Tel: +27 (0) 21 681 5400 Fax:+27 (0) 21 686 0736 www.erm.com Postal Address: Postnet Suite 90 Private Bag X12 Tokai, 7966

Registered Company address: Environmental Resources Management Southern Africa (Pty) Ltd Building 32, 1ST Floor The Woodlands Office Park, Woodlands Drive, Woodmead, 2148 Company registration number 2003/001404/07 Directors Bruce Walker (Managing) Grant Bassingthwaighte Jeremy Soboil John Simonson (UK) Tania Swanepoel Offices worldwide A member of the Environmental Resources Management Group

17 March 2014 Mr Desmond Dsa South Durban Community Environmental Alliance (SDCEA) PO Box 211150 Bluff 4036 Durban Kwazulu-Natal Sent via electronic mail to: priya@sdceango.co.za Your ref: ExxonMobil Deepwater Durban Stakeholder Engagement Our ref: 0226484 Dear Mr Dsa Thank you for your letter dated 21 February 2014 and received by ERM on 24 February 2014 (“Letter of Concern regarding the Proposed Oil and Gas Exploration Activities in the Deepwater Durban Exploration area, Offshore of the Durban South Coast of South Africa”). We have prepared the following response which we hope addresses your comments and concerns. PROPOSED PROJECT

Although it is likely you are aware of this information, a brief summary of the proposed project location and activities is provided here for information purposes. The Deepwater Durban Exploration Area, a licence area defined by the relevant authority under the Mineral and Petroleum Resources Development Act (Act 28 of 2002) (MPRDA), is located far from the coast and in deep water. It is approximately 50 km offshore of the East Coast of South Africa at its nearest point. The easternmost extent of the Exploration Area is approximately 380 km from the coast. The total area of the Exploration Area is approximately 50,000 km² with water depths that range from 2,200 to 3,600 metres. Proposed Activities

ExxonMobil Exploration and Production South Africa Limitied (EMEPSAL) have proposed an initial three year exploration programme. The proposed minimum programme would comprise the acquisition of airborne geophysics data (7,000 km2) and the licensing (and possibly

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acquisition) of 2D seismic survey data (2,600 line km). EMEPSAL may however acquire additional airborne geophysics data (up to a total of 40,000 km2) and licence and acquire up to a total of 4,300 line km 2D seismic survey data. Depending on the results from these surveys, the following activities may then be undertaken: • 2D and/or 3D seismic surveys • Seabed surface heat flow measurements • Seabed and water column sampling • Multibeam echo sounder and sub-bottom profile survey • Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (AUV) survey The additional activities would be carried out in sequence or parallel and the schedule for these activities has not yet been determined and would be dependent on the result of the initial surveys. Note that no exploratory drilling activities are proposed for the initial three year Exploration Right period. SUMMARY OF THE STAKEHOLDER ENGAGEMENT PROCESS

Introduction

Many of your comments reference the stakeholder engagement process and we would like to provide a summary of the actions that were taken during the process of preparing the Environmental Management Programme (EMPr). The requirements of the Mineral and Petroleum Resources Development Act (Act 28 of 2002) (MPRDA) applicable to oil and gas exploration activities were followed for the stakeholder engagement process. As per Section 79 of the MPRDA, oil and gas exploration requires the submission of an application for an Exploration Right to the Petroleum Agency of South Africa (PASA), the designated oversight agency. The application requires the subsequent submission of an EMPr within 120 days following notice of acceptance of the application. Stakeholder Engagement

In order to engage stakeholders during the 120 day period, the following actions were carried out:

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• The project was announced to the initially identified interested and

affected parties in early December 2013 following PASA’s acceptance

of the Exploration Right application on 22 November 2013. General

public notification was made by newspaper advertisement on

Thursday, 12 December and Friday, 13 December 2013 in The Times,

South Coast Herald, PE Herald, Mercury, Upper Coast Fever, and South

Coast Fever. These newspapers were selected to reach national,

provincial, and local (i.e., small towns) stakeholders.

• Information about the project was made available on a website on 12

December 2013. Information was also provided directly to those that

requested it.

• Potential stakeholder groups and individuals were identified for

direct contact. More than 150 potential Interested and Affected

Parties (I&APs) were identified. Stakeholders were contacted

directly via electronic mail and/or telephone. A copy of the project’s

Background Information Document (BID) was provided and

instruction was provided for those that wished to comment. SDCEA

was contacted directly during this period.

• Comments were solicited from stakeholders during an initial

notification period of 21 calendar days. This occurred from 12

December 2013 to 20 January 2014 (excluding the holiday period of 15

December 2013 to 2 January 2014) therefore the notice period was in

fact 39 days.

• During the initial notification period of the stakeholder engagement

process, seven I&APs registered or provided comment, among all

stakeholders contacted directly and indirectly through the process.

• The draft EMPr was disclosed on 7 February 2014 for public review

and comment for 30 days (until 10 March 2014). Registered I&APs

were again contacted and notified directly about the availability of

the document. SDCEA was notified at this stage.

• Additional public participation notice via newspapers commenced

during the week of 2 March 2014, in order to make the public aware

of the availability of the EMPr document at public libraries. Notices

were in English, isiZulu, and isiXhosa.

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• The draft EMPr is available to stakeholders that request it. Hardcopies of the document have been placed in eight public libraries: Port Shepstone Public Library, Amanzimtoti Public Library, Margate Public Library, Austerville Public Library, Durban Public Library, Ballito Public Library, Richards Bay Public Library and KwaDukuza Public Library.

• All comments received and responses provided through 10 March

2014 will be documented and included in the EMPr. The final EMPr

will be submitted to PASA on the deadline of 18 March 2014.

MEETINGS

Overview

In addition to the written disclosures of the draft EMPr, a series of meetings were held to increasethe engagement with potentially interested parties. These meetings are not required under the MPRDA. The meetings focused on the following groups that had explicitly expressed interest in the project and/or that were identified as potentially affected stakeholders.

• Interested public groups in Durban

• Interested public groups in Port Shepstone

• Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife

• KZN provincial government environmental authorities

• Commercial fishing groups (including a representative from the

Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries)

The format of the meetings was intended to facilitate discussion of the project. Face-to-face meetings were held with Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife, KZN environmental authorities, and commercial fishing groups (18, 19 and 21 February respectively). These were approximately 2 hours long and involved a short introduction presentation and then an open discussion. As you are aware, we contacted SDCEA directly and offered to meet face-to-face. Your organisation however requested that a group meeting be held which you then attended. As you are aware, the group meetings held in Durban and in Port Shepstone (on 18 and 19 February respectively) were an ‘open house’ style. Nine informational posters were displayed around the room describing various aspects of the project, the environmental review

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conducted, and key mitigations. There were representatives from EMEPSAL and ERM standing near each of the posters to present the information, answer questions, and gather concerns. BIDs were available as well as I&AP comment sheets and instructions to allow parties an opportunity to capture their comments in their own words. The timing of the open meeting (4pm to 6pm) allowed people

representing in an official capacity (government or professionally) to

attend at 4 pm as part of their work day and private individuals to attend

after typical working hours.

The meeting format was specified in the meeting invitations. The open

house format is widely accepted for such engagements and provides a

means for engaging small groups of interested parties with diverse

views. It allows for efficient engagement as specific questions or

concerns of an individual or group can be discussed. It is preferred over

a town meeting style approach where a minority opinion group might

not have their queries or concerns addressed. The open house format

also allows participants to participate on a rolling time basis and not be

constrained to a specific timing.

The meeting locations were selected based on the locations of registered

I&APs and the interest shown in the project. The distance of the

proposed project offshore (approximately 50 km at the closest point and

360 km at the furthest point) and the minimal impacts on coastal

communities were taken into consideration in deciding on meeting

locations.

The team facilitating the meetings had English, Afrikaans, and isiZulu

language capability. One discussion in the Durban meeting began in

isiZulu but the participants requested that the discussion continue in

English instead.

Outcome of the Meetings

The meetings were successful in that we were able to engage with a variety and number of interested parties and discuss the project further. A number of stakeholders participated in the process and offered their comments openly. We are preparing a summary of the comments and concerns raised during the meeting to be included in the report to PASA. As you know, we made attempts to engage with you and your

organisation during the course of the Durban meeting.

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BACKGROUND INFORMATION DOCUMENT

Your comments on the BID are noted. This document is intended to provide background and some level of detail on the proposed activities. Because some of the activities are technical, the document text is by its nature somewhat technical. It is however written for the general public. Regarding the impact assessment and the environmental management process, this is fully discussed in the EMPr. The concluding chapter provides a concise and simple summary of the project, the process that was undertaken to assess impacts, and the actions that will be taken to protect the environment. As mentioned, the EMPr is available on the referenced website and as hardcopy in the public libraries mentioned above. CLIMATE CHANGE

As described in the EMPr, the impact assessments evaluated environmental impacts on resources such as marine fauna, benthic ecology, air quality, and water quality among others. Furthermore, the assessments evaluated impacts on commercial fishing and the economy as well. These assessments were carried out by ERM specialists supported by national experts on certain topics. The proposed activities include only exploration-phase geophysical and geotechnical surveys. As described in the EMPr, these are vessel or airplane based activities. Given the nature of the proposed activities, impact on climate change is comparable to other existing sea going vessels and small plane operators. There are no activities that will generate or release significant quantities of greenhouse gases. Any further research would therefore not have provided any benefit to the assessment of impacts at this stage of the proposed project.

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CLOSING

We hope that this information addresses your inquiry and the concerns of you and your organisation. We are happy to answer any additional questions or concerns you might have. Kindest regards,

Henry Camp Claire Alborough Partner Project Manager Copied to: Gail Raganya, PA to the Minister, Department of Environmental Affairs (raganyag@dwa.gov.za) Rhoda Mackier (Private Secretary to the Minister, Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries) (PA.Ministry@daff.gov.za)

1

Tougheeda Aspeling

From: Tougheeda AspelingSent: 13 March 2014 09:54 AMTo: 'Carolyn'Subject: RE: Emailing: EMPr Deepwater Durban Exploration Area (ExxonMobil)

Dear Carolyn  Thank you for your email.  We acknowledge receipt of the Coastwatch KZN (in collaboration with WESSA Durban Branch and Birdlife Port Natal) letter dated 10 March 2014 and will respond in due course.  Yours Sincerely  Tougheeda Aspeling Stakeholder Engagement Consultant  ERM Southern Africa (Pty) Ltd 2nd Floor | Great Westerford | 240 Main Road | Rondebosch | 7700 | Cape Town | South Africa T +27 21 681 5400 |F 086 5404 072  | M +27 84 2066187 E Tougheeda.Aspeling@erm.com| W www.erm.com   The world’s leading sustainability consultancy  ‐‐‐‐‐Original Message‐‐‐‐‐ From: Carolyn [mailto:afromatz@telkomsa.net] Sent: Monday, March 10, 2014 3:13 PM To: Tougheeda Aspeling; Cheryl.Alborough@erm.com Cc: coastwatch@ceasy.co.za; 'A Van Vuuren'; 'Lesley Frescura'; 'Crispin Hemson' Subject: Emailing: EMPr Deepwater Durban Exploration Area (ExxonMobil)  Dear Tougheeda  Please find comment submitted on behalf of Coastwatch KZN, WESSA Durban Branch and Birdlife Port Natal attached.  Regards  Carolyn Schwegman 

P O Box 343 Pennington

4184 afromatz@telkomsa.net

10 March 2014

ERM Southern Africa (Pty) Ltd

Postnet Suite 90

Private Bag X12

TOKAI

7966

Tougheeda.Aspeling@erm.com

Claire.Alborough@erm.com

PROPOSED OIL AND GAS EXPLORATION ACTIVITIES IN THE DEEPWATER

DURBAN EXPLORATION AREA, OFFSHORE OF THE DURBAN SOUTH COAST

OF

SOUTH AFRICA

(ExxonMobil Exploration and Production South Africa Ltd (EMEPSAL)

ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT PROGRAMME (EMPr)

Coastwatch, WESSA Durban Branch and Birdlife Port Natal, non-governmental

organisations formed by volunteers and operating with support of people interested and/or

affected by issues relating to the area share interest in development and change of land use

applications in the eThekwini area. The organisations serve to ensure that development in

the eThekwini area is appropriate, sustainable and legally compliant.

We extend our area of interest with respect to the application under review and submit the

following comments which pertain to the acoustic effects of the activities on marine fauna.

The Proposed Activities

ExxonMobil Exploration and Production South Africa Limited (EMEPSAL) has lodged an

application for an Exploration Right with the Petroleum Agency of South Africa (PASA) in

terms of Section 79 of the Mineral and Petroleum Resources Development Act (No. 28 of

2002) (MPRDA) in order to explore for oil and gas reserves in the Deepwater Durban

Exploration Area offshore of the Durban south coast of South Africa. In terms of the MPRDA

and associated regulations, a requirement is that an Environmental Management

COASTWATCH KZN Page 2 of 8

Programme (EMPr) must be compiled and submitted to PASA for consideration and for

approval by the Minister of Mineral Resources.

We understand that the project area extends over 50 000 km², in depths of water between

2 200 m and 3 600 m approximately 50 km offshore. A three year exploration right is being

applied for (with the expectation that operations will be conducted over a total of

approximately 160 days). Exploration activities will include:

- Acquiring airborne geophysical data and following analysis thereof, the following -

- 2D seismic survey

- 3D seismic survey

- Seabed heat flow measurements

- Seabed and water column sampling, including piston coring

- Multibeam echo sounder and sub-bottom profile survey

- Autonomous Underwater Vehicle survey.

Comment on the EMPr (Draft Report February 2014)

Coastwatch KZN (now in collaboration with WESSA Durban Branch and Birdlife Port Natal)

has commented on previous applications for marine exploration rights where we have

confined our comments to the specific project under review. However in each subsequent

application we have found that the information is largely generic and repetitive which, in

our opinion, is contrary to a growing body of scientific based evidence which stresses the

need for specific research into the effects of noise on marine fauna.

From the information provided (summarised in Table 10, Impact Assessment Summary) it

would appear that it is the sound generating activities (airborne geophysical programme

and seismic surveys) which show potential (said to be of low significance following

mitigation) to affect cetaceans, turtles and fish, with impacts on birds and invertebrates

being negligible. We have considered the information (stated by ERM in the Executive

Summary to be “... developed from available secondary data (including the PASA-approved

generic EMPr)”) and find that the increasing concern on the effect of anthropogenic ocean

noise on marine animals (which has resulted in a rapid increase of interest in marine

bioacoustics i.e. sound produced by or affecting marine animals, with additional focus on

the animals’ physical and behavioural response to anthropogenic sounds) leaves us with no

option but to put our contention that PASA is not in a position to grant exploration rights

COASTWATCH KZN Page 3 of 8

without further information on the effects of exploration activities on marine fauna being

available.

Application Process

1. Firstly, the abovementioned organisations find fault with the application process

which artificially separates the exploration stage from the life cycle of a hydrocarbon

field project ie the extraction activities. The project should be considered holistically

as impacts from extraction activities may render future mining fatally flawed and

cognisance of this from the outset would avoid unnecessary impacts on the marine

environment during exploration.

2. PASA Requirements

Having engaged in the public participation processes for several applications for

exploration rights along, and offshore from, the KZN coast we find that the

information provided in each application for an exploration right is largely repetitive

and shows a lack of:

- Data collection. Data collected and observations made from surveys which have

been completed is not assimilated and fed into a pool of scientific information to

inform subsequent project planning;

- Further Research. The field of marine bioacoustics is recognised as data deficient yet

PASA continues to entertain applications which may have long term detrimental

effects on marine life. It is a concern indeed that activities are authorised where

there is the potential for long term negative impacts.

We draw attention to two reports, in particular, which substantiate our concerns

about the lack of available information to allow defensible decision making with

respect to sound generated impacts on marine animals, viz –

o Endangered Wildlife Trust Research & Technical Paper No. 1: The Potential

Impacts of Anthropomorphic Noise on Marine Animals and

Recommendations for Research in South Africa;

COASTWATCH KZN Page 4 of 8

o Nowacek et al, Aquatic Mammals 2013: Responsible Practices for Minimising

and Monitoring Environmental Impacts of Marine Seismic Surveys with

Emphasis on Marine Mammals.

The latter gives elements for responsible planning and execution of seismic surveys

for geographical exploration and notes the need for, at the start of survey or

preferably well beforehand, multi-year data on the general characteristics and

natural variability of the relevant biological and ecological systems to be identified.

Further, reference is made to “industry funded” research (“Before one development

project was initiated, the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) in collaboration with

Angola LNG, a liquified natural gas (LNG) producer based in Soyo, Angola, initiated a

series of industry-sponsored field studies of cetaceans off the coast of Angola”.)

which is an opportunity which appears not to be explored in South Africa.

3. Research

The abovementioned reports stress the need for further research in marine

bioacoustics. For example, it is stated that just knowing that a species or population

of concern (ie one that is considered at high risk and consequently afforded

protective status in national or international conservation processes) occurs in the

action area is not sufficient. A thorough understanding of seasonal occurrence and

density, behaviour, reproduction, foraging and habitat use is needed to guide survey

planning and the design of appropriate mitigation.

Despite the growing concern among scientific experts on ocean noise, it would seem

that this concern has not been realised by decision makers who remain largely

unaware of the potential threats to the marine environment.

The Endangered Wildlife Trust, while supporting existing generic mitigation

measures for a country such as South Africa which has a rich coastal biodiversity and

is an important habitat for threatened marine species, also notes that it is a country

experiencing a rapid increase in coastal industrial developments as well as oil and

gas exploration. However, to date, no formal research on the effects of ocean noise

on marine animals has been conducted in South Africa. The industrial development

in South African coastal and offshore habitats must occur in conjunction with the

conservation of marine organisms and ecosystems. To achieve this, the initiation of

COASTWATCH KZN Page 5 of 8

research on the negative impacts of noise on marine life is required, while

implementation of existing as well as development of new, effective mitigation

measures is necessary. In addition, best practice guidelines need to be developed

and applied.

Mitigation Measures Sounds generated by large container vessels, small recreational and fishing vessels, seismic

surveys, naval sonar, and construction activities have all been related to negative impacts

on a variety of marine animals. These negative impacts include direct effects, such as

physical injury (i.e. auditory and non-auditory), stress, perceptual interference, behavioural

changes, and chronic responses, and indirect effects on predator species as a consequence

of a change in prey distribution or abundance due to direct effects of sound on the prey

(EWT report).

Further, it is said that no two seismic surveys are identical in terms of area, airgun array size,

animal species present, animal distribution and abundance, water depth, duration, distance

from shore, etc. (Nowacek et al). Consequently, there is no single standard set of mitigation

measures suitable for every survey, each survey programme requiring a tailored suite of

mitigation and monitoring measures yet from our involvement in commenting on previous

exploration programmes adjacent to the KZN coast and offshore standard mitigation

measures are applied. Opportunities to fine tune mitigation based on previous survey

reports seem not to be taken and without collation and analyses of data to provide baseline

environmental information specific to South African water confidence in mitigation cannot

be secured. At the very least, basic information on species of concern must be collated and

evaluated, based on either direct observations in the action area or reasonable expectations

inferred from observations in similar areas and situations. While Coastwatch has requested

what benefit has been derived from post-survey MMO reports and project close-out reports

the information has not been forthcoming.

Effectiveness of Mitigation: Is the effectiveness of the standard mitigation measures measured?

An example of a standard mitigation measure recommended in each survey undertaken in

South Africa to remove marine fauna from the operations area is a warning signal referred

COASTWATCH KZN Page 6 of 8

to as a “soft start”. It seems, however, that this method has never been proven to be

effective, with additional evidence suggesting that some animals might not move away

(Stone 2003). This could be explained by the possibility that slow starts do not provide the

animal with sufficient information to ascertain the direction of where the sound is coming

from (Weilgart 2007). Furthermore, a slow start might even attract some animals out of

curiosity (Weilgart 2007).

Alternative Mitigation Measures:

A technology alternative, for example, discussed in the EWT report bears consideration.

Seismic exploration activities generate broad band frequency noise of which only a small

range (5-100 Hz) is relevant for the collection of the required information (Goold and Fish

1998). One tool to reduce noise at the higher frequencies is known as an “airgun silencer,”

which is made from acoustically absorbent foam rubber and significantly reduces noise

levels above 700 Hz to a maximum of 6 dB with an additional increase in sound levels

around 100 Hz. From this it is hypothesized that fewer airguns might be needed when

conducting seismic surveys with an airgun silencer in comparison to the current system.

We suggest that there is strong motivation for the effectiveness of the standard mitigation

measures to be measured, and reported on, while also including the consideration of

alternatives.

Indirect and Cumulative Impacts

Impact assessment of seismic sounds provided in the scientific literature considers short-

term responses at the level of individual animals only. Understanding how short-term

effects of seismic surveys relate to long-term impacts at the population level is poor and

data on behavioural reactions acquired in the short-term could easily be misinterpreted as

being less significant than the cumulative effects over the long-term, i.e what is initially

interpreted as an impact not having a detrimental effect and thus being of low significance,

may turn out to result in a long-term decline in the population.

Further, multiple stressors can act simultaneously with a consequent cumulative or

synergistic effect. Cumulative stressors are stressors that might individually be insignificant,

COASTWATCH KZN Page 7 of 8

but that become significant when repeated over time or combined with the effects of other

sound sources.

While the assessment of cumulative and synergistic effects may take many years (which

explains why these effects have not yet been addressed in a meaningful way) it thus

becomes most important that finding ways to assess cumulative and synergistic impacts of

anthropogenic sound on marine animals is considered as a conservation research priority

(Jasny et al. 2005).

Once again, the issue of a lack of data with the persistence of behavioural effects not having

been studied, together with the need for further research on cetacean population dynamics

and behaviour in the long term to establish baseline data over a sufficiently long timescale

against which to assess disturbances (cumulative and off-site impacts) is raised. That the

cumulative impacts of a number of marine surveys as well as indirect impacts which may

not necessarily be contained within the study area are not considered is an added concern,

particularly with the increasing pressure from reconnaissance surveys offshore South Africa.

Surveys have been, and are, conducted by several companies within the same, or

overlapping, areas (or surveys are repeated to cover infill lines) which may subject an area

to several periods of seismic or other exploratory activities which may significantly increase

impacts on marine species.

It follows then that our concern becomes magnified when considering a recently published

report (Final report of the Independent Scientific Review Panel investigating potential

contributing factors to a 2008 mass stranding of melon-headed whales (Peponocephala

electra) in Antsohihy, Madagascar. Southall et al, 2013) which has not excluded the

potential for behavioural responses to an acoustic source being a contributory factor in the

mass cetacean stranding.

Conclusion

Coastwatch, WESSA Durban Branch and Birdlife Port Natal conclude that as no responsible

practice guidelines have been developed for marine surveys in South African waters, and

that it is recognised that there is a severe deficiency of data, we must align ourselves with

the thinking portrayed by the Endangered Wildlife Trust in its Research & Technical Paper

No. 1 in which it advises that the South African Government generates a White Paper for

COASTWATCH KZN Page 8 of 8

effective management of ocean noise pollution as has recently been done for an effective

climate change response (GRSA 2011). The paper should list all resolutions and mitigation

measures regarding ocean noise pollution. Furthermore, a local dedicated organization

should be established that aims to achieve the resolutions stipulated in the ocean noise

White Paper and to communicate with international organizations to contribute to the

establishment of a global approach for effective management of ocean noise pollution

Thank you for the opportunity to comment on the application. Please ensure that this letter

which outlines in general our concerns pertaining to the authorisation of activities which

have the potential for long term negative impacts in the marine environment without

sufficient scientific information to inform decision making is included as an appendix to the

public participation report.

Yours faithfully

C SCHWEGMAN