Shell protestors attached to Arctic drilling ship removed by Coast Guard

Shell protestors removed from ship docked in Bellingham port

Shell protestors aboard Alaska offshore drilling rig in Hawaii.  Royal Dutch Shell has been the focus of protestors fighting against offshore drilling in the Arctic.  Greenpeace photo.

Two activists spent about six hours Friday suspended from the anchor chain of a Royal Dutch Shell support ship docked north of Seattle to protest the petroleum giant’s plans to drill for oil in the Arctic Ocean.

The protesters sitting in cloth slings attached themselves around 3:30 a.m. to the anchor chain of the American Trader at the Bellingham harbour. A spokeswoman for the group said they were comfortable, in good spirits and excited to be there.

The Coast Guard reported they helped Bellingham Police remove the protesters around 9:30 a.m. Friday and then the police arrested them for trespassing.

Petty Officer 1st Class George Degener said the activists were on private property.

This is the second Arctic drilling protest in the Bellingham harbour in about a month. The oil company’s proposal also has drawn large protests in Seattle, where a drill rig is being prepared to explore for oil off Alaska this summer.

Sawyer Joy and Erika Osland, both students at Western Washington University, said they were trying to raise awareness about the hazards of Arctic drilling and climate change.

“People need to step up and put a stop to this madness,” Osland said in a statement. “If not us, who? If not now, when?”

Two other protesters attached themselves to a different Shell support ship late last month for the better part of a weekend. They voluntarily left their perch with the help of the Coast Guard after days aboard.

The agency has initiated penalties against some protesters over violating the 100-yard safety zone around the Arctic Challenger.

The Coast Guard became aware of Friday’s situation just before 5 a.m., Petty Officer 3rd Class Amanda Norcross said.

The Associated Press