Congo Defends Right to Explore for Oil in National Parks
Democratic Republic of Congo's oil minister on Thursday defended the country's right to explore for oil anywhere on its territory after media reports that President Joseph Kabila approved drilling in Africa's largest tropical rainforest reserve. Oil minister Aime Ngoy Mukena declined to confirm a report in Germany's Die Tageszeitung newspaper that Kabila had this month authorised exploration inside Salonga National Park, but he said that no land should be off-limits. Salonga, a UNESCO World Heritage site, covers 33,350 sq km of the Congo Basin, the world's second-largest rainforest.
Oil Spill Response: USCG, CCG & Foss Team
Canadian, U.S. Coast Guards and Foss Maritime coordinate a textbook response operation. Robust response trumps the need for later salvage. In the early hours of Friday, October 17, the crew of the Russian cargo ship Simushir attempted to repair a broken oil heater. On its way to Pevek in the Russian Far East, the vessel suddenly lost propulsion and began drifting toward the nearest land, which in this case was the archipeligo Haida Gwaii. Just off the coast of northern British Columbia, about 30 miles south of the border with Alaska and 447 miles north of Vancouver…
Congo Oil Campaign Generates Death Threats
Two employees of WWF have received death threats in Democratic Republic of Congo because of the conservation group's opposition to plans by British company Soco International to search for oil in a national park, WWF said. Soco's plans have drawn criticism from the British government and from environmentalists who fear they could damage Virunga National Park, the oldest and most bio-diverse in Africa. Emmanuel De Merode, the park's Belgian director who was also publicly critical of Soco's plans, was shot and seriously wounded last month by unknown gunmen.
Soco to Begin Seismic Testing in Virunga Park
British oil company Soco International will start seismic tests this weekend in Democratic Republic of Congo's Lake Edward, an executive said on Wednesday, despite campaigners' attempts to block exploration in a world heritage site. Conservation group WWF has called on Soco to withdraw from its blocks in UNESCO-protected Virunga national park, saying oil exploration is incompatible with world heritage status and would damage the most bio-diverse park in Africa. "The start date for seismic testing has been planned for April 26 and will take about a month…
