On Saturday May 16 Hundreds of activists, many in boats and kayaks, were preparing to protest storing two Royal Dutch Shell drilling rigs in Seattle’s waterfront before the oil giant resumes this summer’s Arctic oil exploration.
Environmental groups seem to be determined to interrupt the oil giant’s efforts to turn the Port of Seattle as a home base as it outfits the rigs to return to the Chukchi Sea off Alaska, saying drilling in the remote Arctic waters could lead to an ecological catastrophe.
Around 20 kayakers met the first of two rigs that will dock in Seattle on Friday, spreading out a banner reading “Arctic Drilling = Climate Change.” Other protesters tried to block access to the rigs on land by vertical putting up a metal tripod.
A much larger crowd is expected to draw on Saturday’s protest, including a fleet of kayaks and boats at the port around Shell’s terminal. According to organizer ShellNo another demonstration is planned for Monday.
The group mentioned on their website that Shell’s drilling rigs are the source and origin of the climate crisis.
The second rig is expected very recently at the port but the exact date has not yet been announced.
According to Greenpeace and several other environmental groups, it is impossible to drill safely in the Arctic due to weather conditions, a region which basically regulates the global climate because of its vast layers of sea ice.
Mayor Ed Murray and the City Council are also included in the long list of opponents of the rigs being docked in Seattle, a city which is well known for its environmental causes.
Despite the oppositions and a ruling by the city’s planning department earlier this week that the port’s agreement with the company was in violation of its city permit Shell was bringing in the rigs and moving ahead as planned.
According to Curtis Smith, a Shell spokesman their timeline is just to make sure the rigs are ready to go.
The federal Bureau of Ocean Energy Management approved Shell’s resumption of fossil fuel exploration in the Arctic upon condition earlier this week, which was paused due to an unfortunate 2012 season.
Some Alaska lawmakers, who believe it will bring more cash flow and job opportunities to the state approved the decision.
According to Republican Senator Lisa Murkowski, Shell’s exploration plan approval for Alaska’s Chukchi Sea is another important indication and a major stepping stone towards the assumption of a leadership position in the Arctic by the United States.
