What we do
OCEAN supports non-violent direct action to prevent seismic blasting and new gas development in the Otway Basin. We value the power of mobilising communities into action to have positive wins for our marine and coastal environments.
OCEAN takes to Melbourne CBD in
protest against seismic blasting
'Act Local' featuring OCEAN
OCEAN march against seismic blasting & gas expansion
OCEAN marched down the main street of Apollo Bay to raise awareness of Seismic Testing and Gas Exploration in the Otway Basin. Yaraan Bundle, proud Gunditjmara woman, spoke after the march about bringing awareness to sea country and protection of the Southern Right Whale (Koontapool) and their song line country. She paid her respects to the Gadubanud country and praised OCEAN on their efforts to care for country. Please have a listen to Yaraan, she is inspiring. OCEAN also launched it's NO NEW GAS bins campaign.
OCEAN activists disrupt Seismic Survey Ship
enroute to King Island waters
Geelong, VIC, Sunday August 15, 1:30 AEST - Today a group of activists were
arrested for disrupting the loading of the seismic survey ship the Geo Coral whilst in
the Port of Corio, Geelong. The ship is enroute to explore for new gas and oil in the
Otway Basin west of King Island. Over 40 protesters approached the ship on
surfboards and blockaded the high security gateway to the port.
The offshore title to be surveyed is owned by gas and oil companies’ 3D Oil and
ConocoPhillips and covers an area of 4,089 square kms. The plans have rung alarm
bells for fishers, environmentalists and King Islanders. Surrounding Councils
including Colac Otway Shire, Surf Coast and King Island Council have officially
opposed seismic testing in the waters of the Otway Basin.
Seismic blasting involves releasing 259 decibel blasts from the rear of the ship, to
determine gas and oil deposits deep below the ocean floor.
Lisa Deppeler from OCEAN explains “The blasts are so loud they are no longer a
sound you can actually hear; they are a massive shock wave of energy; scientific
evidence confirms the blasts kill, damage and disturb a huge array of marine
creatures including whales. Research has shown blasts destroy zooplankton for at
least 1.5kms radius. These blasts go off every 10 seconds, 24 hours a day
sometimes for months on end.
Torquay Surfer Belinda Baggs led the paddle out to the ship. “We are frustrated by
the token consultation offered by our government regulator, NOPSEMA (National
Offshore Petroleum Safety Environment Management Authority). We write letters
and respond to what little opportunity there is from NOPSEMA but our efforts are just
ignored. NOPSEMA is just another arm of the gas and oil industry as far as I’m
concerned”.
Trevor Barker, 3rd generation fisherman from Apollo Bay attended the protest in
Corio. Trevor says he has seen a significant decline in crayfish catches over the last
few years. Fishing grounds that have been blasted can take more than 5 years to
recover after a seismic ship has been through.
Lisa Deppeler OCEAN concluded by saying “Today was a rare opportunity to interact
with a survey vessel. We hope our efforts have raised awareness about the
existence of seismic ships and seismic testing to the public. It’s a dirty little secret
that the gas and oil industry would prefer we didn’t know about. It happens out to
sea, out of sight and out of mind of ordinary Australians”.
