Case Decision - 196585

The South African Heritage Resources Agency (SAHRA) would like to thank you for submitting the Draft Scoping Report (DSR) for the proposed development of DNG Energy (Pty) Ltd Busisiwe (Coega 1- Aloe) Gas-to-Power Facility and associated infrastructure in Coega Special Economic Zone within the jurisdiction of the Nelson Mandela Bay Metropolitan Municipality, Eastern Cape Province, South Africa.
The proposed project entails development of the gas to power infrastructure (Generation) that will eventually connect to the Eskom Grid. The proposed projects include the following:

The development of a single point mooring with a Floating Storage Regasification Unit (FSRU).
The undersea and inland gas pipe to connect to the power station.
The construction of aboveground regasification and storage tanks with a capacity of 15X 20 tons (a total of 300 tons) in ISO containers and a bulk storage facility will be constructed.
Access road wider than 8 m to the development site will be used as both an access road during construction and a service road during the operational phase.
The construction of approximately 4km 132 kV overhead powerline from the proposed power plant to the existing Delisa substation.

In terms of the National Heritage Resources Act, No 25 of 1999 (NHRA), Sections 2 and 35 stipulates that any wreck, being any vessel or aircraft or any part thereof older than 60 years old lying in South Africa's territorial waters or maritime cultural zone is protected and falls under the jurisdiction of SAHRA's Maritime and Underwater Cultural Heritage Unit. These heritage sites or objects may not be disturbed without a permit from the relevant heritage resources authority. The Maritime and Underwater Cultural Heritage Unit at SAHRA is the commenting body for subsea development.
The Draft Scoping Report includes a Heritage Impact Assessment however, SAHRA was disappointed to note that maritime heritage has not been included or considered as part of the project. The DSR makes no reference to maritime heritage despite the proposed installation of a subsea pipeline. The DSR states that the pipeline will be 10km in length and have a servitude of 36m and that dredging may occur near the mooring site of the FSRU in order to accommodate the supply ship. Because of the possible impact of this subsea development maritime heritage must be considered.
Algoa Bay is an historically important area which has seen a high volume of maritime traffic and causalities. During the constriction of the Port of Ngqura a shipwreck, the County of Pembroke, was discovered and underwent an emergency archaeological rescue excavation before it was cut up and removed. There also numerous reports of other wrecks in the area.
Because of the possibility that wrecks may exist in the area for the proposed installation of the pipeline, SAHRA insists that a maritime heritage survey of the site must be undertaken prior to the installation. The survey must be undertaken by a suitably qualified maritime archaeologist and must include a geophysical survey of the seabed, should any anomalies be present they may need to be investigated through additional methods, such as a diver survey. The results of the survey must be included in the EIA for the project and any recommendations and management measures regarding maritime heritage must be adhered to during the construction phase of the project.
All correspondence and reports relating to this project must be uploaded to the South African Heritage Resources Information System (SAHRIS) to provide SAHRA with the opportunity to comment. SAHRA does not accept hard copy documents, links to documents, or documents received via post.