34 thoughts on “World’s Biggest Seismic Testing Ship Parked on NZ Faultline”

1. Can someone explain the connection between fracking and seismic blasting please, I understand them separately but I am curious as to whether they are connected to each other as a means of exploration and acquiring the gas found, doing a biology paper on fracking so i’d hate to miss something. Any input welcome.

   1. Hi Lucas,
      Hydraulic Fracturing is a means of extracting gas from shale using explosives, which of course generates artificially induced “earthquakes”.
      The waste fluid from the fracturing process, usually brine with other additives, can also facilitate triggering of seismic activity by lubricating faults In the crust.
      The process we refer to as “Seismic blasting” is correctly named Seismic Data Acquisition, and is a means of exploration of the submarine strata too detect minerals, oil and gas in preparation for potential extraction.
      Essentially, it involves two vessels; a tow vessel and a pilot vessel, and a Towed Array, which can be several kilometres in length. Air guns, fired sequentially, fire high pressure blasts of air at several thousand psi to the seabed, basically sending a return signal from which information about the undersea crust can be extrapolated.
      Forgive my layman’s clumsy explanation, but that’s the gist of it.
      What is known, with absolute certainty, is that Seismic blasting is extremely harmful and potentially fatal to a variety of oceanic life, most notably cetaceans.
      What is more contentious is the potential for triggering earthquakes. For more on that subject I recommend contacting Jeff Phillips or Rose Paige at the Con Trail.
      In a nutshell, Seismic Data Acquisition and Hydraulic Fracturing are entirely different processes, but both are cited as connected to environmental damage and seismic triggering.
      Hope that helps?

2. A lot of what media whores say is easily proved as nonsense.
   They prove the need for all honest researchers to list their sources clearly and to bang it into their readers head to not just take our word but to check heck and check again any claims made.

   The net rocks and many intelligence people who never had the chance at a university education are because of it having their minds blown via its ability to access information like never before.
   However we now all need to learn/teach each other some pretty basic lessons of not just the art of data collection but the art of information authentication.

   1. Can you fund other data which back up the initial claim.

   2. Are you sure on the authencity of the supporting sources (e.g. they are not in fact once source distributed in a way as to make it seem there are many sources or simply repeating some one elses allegation with out checking its reliability)

   3. How good is the material really is a news story full of claims by unnamed (unauthenticable) sources talking about claims they in turn got off an unnamed dude they met in a pub. Or do you story based on primary documents, named rock hard credible sources, legal depodition , endorsed court fundings, high resolution photo from many sources backed up by radar chemical analyst stamped by a reputable labratory, backed up by mass witness sites.

   Not all information is equal.

   Media Whores is information of the lowest scale.

   If a Pulitzer is comparable to eating at a Michelin restaurant. Then MW is the chicken mcnuggets you fund in a dumpster out the back of a McDonalds knock off (McWrongals).

   For example I am not sure why the article uses a picture of a Chinese spy ship (Yuan Long). This was in Auckland well before the quake and no were near CHCH. I have however written about this ship ( in NZ as NZ handed its air control over to an American military contractor inOctober 2026) and the name Media Whores goes back to an article I wrote on Julie Christie (Media Works/ TV3) during the flag debate.

   A sister site, using the same formst font snd layout of MW, called something like Real Australian News suggest a lot of the same nonsense ( that is mixed in with the solid facts dug up by genuine researchers) including Hillary knew and this in wiki leaks. Aside from the email in question not relating to 2016 (media whores mixes a lot past events up with 2016 events), being a fairly tenuous connection its not a good look when you click on the alleged wikileaks link and find your self back at mediawhores.

   I have a pretty good idea who the offender is. A man who seems to have a habit of plagerising other research work and then deliberately twisting or distorting the original author work so its now riddled with inaccuracies. Very frustrating to those out their working hard to get the information taken seriously. But to be expected really.

   Yup Media Whores is a good name for that source for sure.

   1. Yes Ben I’ve come across the “Real Australian News” site you’re referring to. Can’t recall it’s exact name. For us administrators, the fake news and disinformation issues are a tricky one. Speaking personally, I do put a lot of thought into which articles I publish or pass on, and if the information is questionable I’ll usually give it a question mark or a comment as guidance. But more importantly, as per the Uncensored motto, we encourage our readership to “think for yourself”, and please provide feedback, sort the facts from the bs and all that.
      Thanks Ben for doing exactly that.
      I just wish there were more like you out there!

      1. With Ben Vidgen

         1. Thanks Scotty. Ben V. is a diligent and cautious researcher.
            And I’m glad you enjoyed the article and the site.
            Hope to hear more from you,
            Martin.

   2. Great read,first time ive seen this site and i couldnt agree more.

3. It’s a sickening World we live in full of deceit greed and lies once the world we live in is destroyed all the oil minerals will be returned where they belong and the skies will once again look like they should not a murky mess of chemicals and metal particles shame we wont be here to see that day
   When will they ever learn obviously not in any mans lifetime
   Nothing is coincidence it is cause and effect and it is not the fault of the meek

   1. Thanks for your comment Brent. We need to see the good in this world also. I think we do indeed live in times of lies and greed and horrific acts of cruelty. However we also see acts of unprecedented kindness and generosity. I guess one could say we live in a time of extremes. “They” will of course never learn, but “the meek” can certainly do their part to fight the greedy elite. Blessed are the meek…..?

4. https://www.msn.com/en-nz/news/national/did-seismic-research-kill-whale/ar-BBxJTlG?li=BBqdk7Q&ocid=SK2MDHP

5. https://api.ning.com/files/hbW5*gkw2Mi*iXJ-gl6w7KKetD*0TErP8mgCjfKrY6zNNXbwV4vl-K6yusAjPVWQ4IsP1ORJhJAAKh6KfHO5VhrHnu7Q8oJb/Screenshot133.png

6. https://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PO1611/S00192/seismic-testing-presents-significant-risk-to-east-coast.htm

7. Something for the Dave and Tony Show to consider:
   3.Artificial stress powerful enough to cause quakes such as building dams, injecting liquid into the earth’s crust, coal mining and extracting oil and natural gas from regions where there is high tectonic activity are noted to cause a massive change in stress load of the earth’s crust which tend to trigger earthquakes. These earthquakes are called as induced seismicity.
   This a quote from the SKEPTIC article link above.
   Regardless of wether the seismic data acquisition vessel triggered a quake or not, your Cameron Madgwick wants to drill for oil here. The same Cameron Madgwick who just wrote a letter to the editor of the Christchurch Press today expressing his disappointment that our City Council opposes offshore drilling here. Don’t worry, I’ll be sending my own letter of reply

   1. Yesterday the Press newspaper published a lengthy letter by Cameron Madgwick ,of Petroleum Exploration and Product Association of New Zealand, expressing his disappointment over the Christchurch City Council opposing oil drilling in Canterbury and expressing the supposed safety and economic benefits it would bring. He described us protestors as “issue-motivated groups, who deliberately attempt alarm and misinform the public.”

      Here is the reply I emailed to the Press this morning:

      I’m beginning to wonder which is worse: the upsurge in seismic activity or the subsequent upsurge in denials and complaints from Cameron Madgwick!

      Personally I’m both delighted and relieved that the Christchurch City Council continues to oppose oil and gas extraction activities in the Canterbury region.

      In 2012, with the ground beneath us still rumbling on a daily basis, the Council indicated their opposition to hydraulic fracturing in Canterbury, and despite the false reassurances from the Royal Society that fracking is safe, a mountain of evidence accumulated since then has proven beyond any doubt the link between fracking and increased seismic activity.

      It has also been shown that any method of extraction of oil and gas from regions where there is high tectonic activity is noted to induce massive stress loads in the earth’s crust which is likely to trigger earthquakes.

      Cameron Madgwick thinks the Council’s decision is based on emotion. You bet it is! Six years of incessant shaking tends to get one a little emotional, Cameron, however we can back up that emotion with facts and evidence when required.

      The economic benefits of the oil and gas industry to Canterbury would be lost in a single day in the event of another major earthquake. What has been the cost of our city’s rebuild? What will be the cost of Kaikoura’s rebuild? And how do you place a dollar value on the loss of human life?

      “Transformational” says Cameron. I think we’ve had enough “transformational” activity thanks mate!

      The Christchurch City Council has made a wise decision in opposing oil drilling off our coast.

      Martin Harris

      Administrator, Uncensored.co.nz

      Admin. Team, the CONtrail.com

8. And to demonstrate that we can be balanced and objective (take note Dave and Tony), here’s what the sceptics have to say about the matter
   https://skeptics.stackexchange.com/questions/35990/can-seismic-blasting-from-a-ship-induce-massive-earthquakes
   On the other hand I would counter that not all earthquakes originate “deep within the Earth”, in fact many of the more devastating quakes in NZ occur at very shallow depths, well within the range of tomography and remote sensing techniques.

   1. So here you go guys. Despite what the sceptics say, seismic survey does indeed penetrate to “earthquake depths”
      https://walrus.wr.usgs.gov/earthquakes/cencal/deepseis.html
      Like I said, one has to take this stuff seriously and do some research rather than simply stating “it’s rubbish”.
      Think For Yourself……

9. Here’s an item that sheds light on how these seismic arrays work and some of the controversies surrounding it’s use.
   https://www.coastalreview.org/2015/04/qa-whats-all-the-noise-about/
   There is plenty of more technical data available online for those inclined to check it out.
   I consider the subject of cetacean standings especially relevant.

10. I agree with Dave – it’s all absolute rubbish. One does not ‘drag a seismic gun along the seabed’ – that would destroy the equipment. I would suggest the rumour-mongers do a bit of research and find out exactly how the seismic survey equipment works instead of grabbing little bits of unrelated information and trying to glue a shonky story together with what little they have.
    Tony
    ex-seismic ship engineer

    1. Hi Tony.
       At least you backed your words up with obvious knowledge of the subject. And yes, of course the gear doesn’t simply “drag” along the seabed. Although I’m no seismic engineer, I did look up this subject six years ago, after the Reflect Resolution seismic ship made an appearance in the location where we subsequently experienced a swarm of offshore ‘quakes. I do feel, however, that we’re getting into pedantic details about the actual working details of the gear. Was that ship in the described location at the time claimed? Is there any correlation between seismic exploration methods and the triggering of seismic events? and does that correlation amount to causality? While I agree we should never take any article or claim at face value without doing research, I do not think anyone, former seismic ship engineer or not, should be too dismissive.
       This is not “absolute rubbish” Tony, it is a serious matter. Was “the world’s largest seismic testing ship” parked over the faultline on the day of the big quake or wasn’t it?

11. This article and the comments are absolute rubbish

    1. Thanks Dave for your input. Intelligent, informative, insightful, and crammed with evidence to back up your outstanding conclusions.
       Please feel free to elaborate further as you obviously have much of value to contribute.
       Look forward to further pearls of wisdom from you,
       Love and best wishes ,
       Martin

12. Seismic Testing Presents Significant Risk To East Coast
    Monday, 14 November 2016, 3:13 pm
    Press Release: Te Ikaroa

    FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 14/11/2016 2:35 PM
    Te Ikaroa – Defending Our Waters Press Release

    SEISMIC TESTING PRESENTS SIGNIFICANT RISK TO EAST COAST

    Anti-seismic-testing campaign group Te Ikaroa are calling upon the government to immediately halt all seismic testing along the eastern seaboard, on the heels of this morning’s 7.5 earthquake in Canterbury.

    A peace flotilla in the Wellington harbour yesterday was organised by Oil Free Wellington in protest to the arrival of the world’s largest seismic testing vessel, The Amazon Warrior. The vessel, here to commence seismic testing for oil along the eastern seaboard, is currently unable to enter Wellington harbour due to significant structural quake damage at the port.

    “Te Ikaroa are first and foremost concerned for the wellbeing of whānau along the eastern seaboard who are in fear of their own wellbeing and that of their whanau. In particular we extend our deepest sympathies to those who are grieving the loss of their loved ones in Kaikoura and Mount Lyford” says Tina Ngata, environmentalist and Te Ikaroa campaigner.

    “This morning’s earthquake has demonstrated the seismic vulnerability of the eastern seaboard of Aotearoa. Here on the East Coast, we are close to the Hikurangi tectonic plate boundary which lies just off the coast. This is the boundary between the Australian plate and the Pacific plate, and it is constantly shifting. Some of the very best scientists in our country, including the government’s lead geologists, have noted the seismic vulnerability of this region. To heighten the risk of a seismic event by seismic blasting along this plate boundary defies all common sense – especially while we are still experiencing aftershocks. The last thing we need right now is for another event to be triggered through seismic testing. We are calling upon John Key to demonstrate his concern for the wellbeing of the communities along the eastern seaboard by immediately halting all seismic testing pending a review of the current level of risk.” The Amazon Warrior is due to commence imminent seismic testing for oil on behalf of Norwegian Oil giant Statoil. Seismic testing involves the dragging of a seismic airgun along the seabed, emitting seismic blasts every 10 seconds, 24 hours a day, from now until next May. Statoil acquired their permit from American multinational oil corporation Chevron, and the permit extends along the eastern seaboard and to depths that are unprecedented for New Zealand. Seismic blasting has been proven to be disruptive and harmful to sea life, including marine mammals, and is opposed by coastal fishing interests and eco-tourism operators including Ngāi Tahu’s Whale Watch ventures. Read more here……..

    https://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PO1611/S00192/seismic-testing-presen…

13. Update from Saru at theCONtrail:
    And now let me throw this in the mix. Our friend in Kaikoura has told us how several months ago (June or July), several men on South Bay, just near the Kowhai River, were asked by a local – in a polite conversation – what they were up to. Turns out the were US [Navy] staff surveying potential landing sites for a future naval exercise.

    And now here we are, several months later with exactly that situation!!! For real!!

    This is credible information from a credible source!! Questions need to be asked!

14. https://thecontrail.com/video/secret-antarctica-trip-a-planned-ww3-escape-route-operation?xg_source=activity
    Regarding John Kerry’s presence here and at Antarctica you’ll find this discussion and info very interesting.

    1. Related post here with some useful links
       https://uncensored.co.nz/2016/11/14/massive-7-5-magnitude-earthquake-and-tsunami-new-zealand/

15. https://thecontrail.com/forum/topics/connecting-the-dots-on-the-quake-attack-on-new-zealand?xg_source=activity&id=4744723%3ATopic%3A779250&page=2#comments

    1. Im a new zealander and i believe this..pissed off is an undastatement.

       1. It’s amazing, Anna, how many New Zealanders are now waking up to what’s going on. We are all smarter now than back in 2011 and the word is getting around.
          Kaikoura with it’s marine reserve and tourist industry has long stood in the way of the oil guys, and with Johnny telling us how many billions the recovery will cost, wouldn’t it be convenient if Kaikoura and the roads into it simply vanished from the map?
          I’m sure if you’ve tuned in to theCONtrail.com you’ll have read the comments and dot joining going on, with several blogs and threads from various contributors.
          The more folk get passed off about this eco terrorism, the better.

          1. Here’s another post of interest from the CON trail site:
             https://thecontrail.com/forum/topics/connecting-the-dots-on-the-quake-attack-on-new-zealand?xg_source=activity

          2. Cheers ..have passed on to friends and others interested..thankyou for taking on the mission that you have..the information you attached is all Ive needed to join my dots that have not been connected since the rainbow warrior and other “incidents” but now……They are and NO ONE can change or Twist what I have read and know in my heart to be sickenly true. Thankyou and Go Well..

          3. Hi there. Unbelievable. Incredible reading. Will get more indepth very soon.
             I wondered what Kerry was doing here and.. who was with FEMA., I’d never heard about that. What were they doing here??
             Tell me, do you know, where was this boat was for the Christchurch earthquakes, the Sept and Feb ones.
             Look forward to hearing from you
             Jane

             1. Jane, given sufficient time, I have enormous amounts of information on the Christchurch quakes. Seismic research vessels and oil exploration vessels?
                The Bergen/Reflect Resolution was here off the Canterbury coast, and seen by myself from New Brighton pier, in the weeks leading up to the September 2010 quake, and was lingering in the very spot that the 2011 quake swarm was centred. They were here as part of 12 million dollar incentive from none other than Gerry Brownlee, who subsequently became the “earthquake minister” so controversially. But the real story starts with Anadarko and their SV Aquila oil exploration ship……

                1. On the day of the big February quake, some very interesting characters were in Jonky’s office. They were there to sign a deal on oil exploration in the Canterbury Basin for second tier oil company Anadarko. Within four hours of the quake destroying Christchurch, the deal was done. The Aquila, not due to arrive until the 23 Feb, was in fact already present and in action on the 22 Feb.
                   The most interesting person present at the time of the quakes was Admiral Thad Allen, ex US Navy, FEMA disaster and infrastructure rebuild consultant, RAND corporation disaster rebuild and resilience specialist AND Booze Allen Hamilton consultant. Transport specialists Booz Allen are frequent consultants to N Z transport (bus and rail) and have notoriously close ties to the CIA.

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