ENVIRONMENT-EGYPT: Black Tide Threatens Red Sea Resort

By Cam McGrath Reprint | | Print |

Cam McGrath

HURGHADA, Egypt, Sep 23 2002 (IPS) - An offshore oil platform that has come up near a tourist centre facing the Red Sea is fuelling fears about coastal tourism.

The Geisum Oil Company owned by the Egyptian government installed the exploratory drill in July near the Hurghada tourism resort as a part of Project Seabird. The project provided for five more drills, with permanent platforms if tests prove successful. But these plans are being reviewed in the face of strong local objections.

Hotel and diving operators say the project threatens Hurghada’s image as a tourist destination and poses serious environmental risks.

“Oil and tourism do not go well together,” says Karim Helal, owner of Divers’ Lodge. “Even if this oil rig is safe, how can we sell a destination that is going to be associated with prospecting for oil?”

Over the past 20 years Hurghada has grown from a sleepy fishing village to an international resort attracting European charter tourists and jet-setting Arabs. Its prime attractions lie below its turquoise waters. “People don’t come to the Red Sea for restaurants or discos, they come for the sea,” says Helal. “The coral reefs here attract divers from all over the world.” A threat to the underwater ecosystem is a threat to Hurghada.

Nearly a million people visit Hurghada each year. Some 60 per cent are divers, drawn by its reputation as among the world’s best dive spots. Coral reefs near Hurghada are teeming with tropical fish and marine life.

But oil platforms in and around the Red Sea produce 70 per cent of Egypt’s oil. Officials insist this is not a threat to the marine environment. “Protecting the environment is a fundamental aspect of our work,” says Hassan Hataba from the Ministry of Petroleum. “There are ground rules that must be followed and all precautions are taken to ensure safety (of the environment).”

However, accidents do happen. Black patches on beaches in the Gulf of Suez north of Hurghada attest to a history of spills and mishaps. Fortunately, the government’s commitment to keep oil production away from major tourist areas has spared Hurghada’s pristine reefs. Until now.

Geisum’s exploratory rig is located directly in front of downtown Hurghada, and is visible from shore on a clear day. The rig is just 600 metres from a popular dive site renowned for its rare black coral, and 13 kilometres north of the Giftun Island Protected Area, a marine national park.

Strong currents could carry oil spills to the park within hours, says Amr Ali, managing director of the tourism company Conquest Fleet. “That would be catastrophic,” he says. “One little mistake and we can kiss our businesses good-bye.” About 200,000 Egyptians live in Hurghada, and 95 per cent of the city’s revenue comes directly or indirectly from tourism.

The Hurghada Environmental Protection and Conservation Association and the Red Sea Association for Diving and Watersports are both leaning on the government to cancel Project Seabird. The Red Sea Investors Union, an alliance of hotel owners with investments of 10 million to 25 million dollars each has threatened to pull out of Hurghada if exploration continues. Greenpeace says it is preparing to intervene if all else fails.

Responding to the public protest, local authorities announced that Geisum will remove the exploratory rig once testing is complete, and discontinue all operations in the area. But officials are saying different things, and the final underwater picture is not clear.

“We agreed to allow one exploratory rig to stay,” says Mahmoud Hanafy, head of Red Sea Protectorate. “Five others proposed were cancelled. After the exploratory drill leaves, there will be no more oil rigs here.” If oil is discovered, the company will extract it from existing facilities 25 kilometres away using slant drilling, Hanafy says.

The Ministry of Petroleum offers a different view. “If testing is successful, we will install an oil platform,” says a senior official. “If not, we will leave and there will be no further work.”