The story of the African Penguins, peculiar birds known for their adorable demeanour and distinctive waddling walk, touches our hearts deeply. This story is not filled with joy, but rather despair, as this endemic, critically endangered species is on the verge of disappearing from Algoa Bay in South Africa.

St. Croix Island, once southern Africa’s largest breeding habitat, has been the scene of a catastrophic ecological disaster.  For the past 7 years, the marine ecology of St Croix and the other nearby islands have suffered the consequences of industrial activities, at such a scale, resulting in the loss of ~90% of the breeding colony. 

Our African penguins are not just heading for extinction, but are being pushed! 

Alarmingly, this wildlife disaster may be attributed to unregulated Ship-to-Ship (StS) fuel transfers of bunkers to passing vessels. A marine vessel fuelling station of mega proportion, but at sea. This practice involves fuel transfer between vessels out on the open sea, carried out in close proximity to the Algoa Bay breeding islands that the birds have inhabited for thousands of years. Vessel movement, underwater noise and vibration, interference with food sources, and oil spills have been identified as the most plausible causes of the penguins’ rapid population decline.

Seven years is all it took to derail the world's largest colony!

In an unexpected turn of events, bunkering operations were halted for a year due (of all things) to unpaid duties and taxes to SARS - and an extraordinary thing happened. The penguins of St. Croix Island started to recover, or return, their numbers almost doubled in a single year, providing us with a glimmer of hope for their survival. 

Alarmingly, StS bunkering operations were permitted to recommence again in January 2025, even while the necessary regulations by the authorities, aimed at protecting the St Croix environment and endangered species, were still being drafted. 

We are urging the Minister, Dr. Dion George, to acknowledge the dire effects of these industrial operations on the Critically Endangered African Penguins at St Croix, and to

STOP STS BUNKERING IN ALGOA BAY IMMEDIATELY!

The Offshore Bunkering Regulations that Minister George signed are a slap in the struggling penguins' faces!  The regulations are NOT protecting penguins and our environment, but instead are protecting the offshore bunkering companies!

This isn't just a story of African penguins, it's a story of our shared humanity and our duty to protect the delicate balance of nature.

Please join us in this vital fight for the survival of our African penguins and for our environment. Add your name to this petition please. 

Minister George - do not promulgate the Offshore bunkering regulations, do your duty and protect the environment in Algoa Bay!

ONLY YOU CAN STOP OFFSHORE BUNKERING IN ALGOA BAY - DO IT NOW!