Above photo: Image from ShellNoAlaska.org
PORTLAND, Ore. — The fight against drilling for oil in the Arctic has come to Portland.
Climate change activists kayaked to Swan Island Friday night and then again on Saturday afternoon, to protest a drilling support ship that arrived in Portland for repairs.
Some also lined up on shore, waving signs with slogans like, “Shell No, Save the Arctic.”
Around 200 took to the water on Saturday and circled the ship in kayaks. They creatively referred to themselves as “kayaktivists.”
The Coast Guard had enacted a so-called “safety zone” around the ship in an effort to keep space between the demonstrators and the massive boat, which is more than 300 feet long.
Kayaks in the water at Swan Island for Shell Oil protest. pic.twitter.com/KgBhsSZ4fT
— Art Edwards (@artedwardskgw) July 25, 2015
Shell said it hired a security team, as a safety precaution. Multnomah County River Patrol authorities also told KGW they were prepared to respond, if needed.
The icebreaker ship, named “Fennica,” is part of Shell Oil’s fleet that plans to explore the arctic for oil later this summer.
But, the hull was damaged earlier this month and is now heading to Vigor Industrial’s Shipyard on Swan Island to be repaired.
Activists used similar tactics to surround a massive Shell drilling rig in Seattle back in May, when more than 100 hundred “kayaktivists” paddled out to show their opposition to the arctic drilling.
“Its an assisting icebreaker vessel and somewhat of a tug boat as well to get to the Arctic,” said demonstrator Antonio Zamora. “Why are we going to allow this company to go there?”
Shell Oil and Vigor Industrial Shipyard both expressed concern for demonstrator safety.
“We respect the rights of individuals and groups to express their opinion,” said Shell spokesperson Megan Baldino. “All we ask is they do so within the confines of the law and keep safety as their number one priority.”
“Our primary concern with any vessel coming into our yard is the safety of all involved, including our employees, those on the vessel and those on the water,” said Caitlin Sause, Vigor Industrial’s Director of Government and Public Affairs.
Click on image to see video report:
Press Release about the action from ShellNoAlaska:
“Kayaktivists” and other protesters opposed to Shell Oil’s destructive Arctic drilling operations will mount a kayak flotilla protest in Portland, OR, Saturday, July 25, with the expected arrival of the Shell fleet’s damaged icebreaker, the Fennica, earlier in the day.
The “PDX vs. Shell” action will take place at the Swan Island boat ramp on the end of North Basin Ave. beginning at 3 p.m. July 25. The flotilla of kayaks and other boats will launch at 4 p.m. This is a legal action and family-friendly event. The protest is sponsored by Climate Action Coalition, 350 PDX and Portland Rising Tide.
The Fennica is arriving in Portland from Alaska for repairs to a damaged hull. It is scheduled to return to the Arctic in a few days where it will act as the ice-breaking ship for Shell oil drilling rigs and its support fleet, allowing Shell to commence delayed drilling operations off the Alaska coast.
Carbon emissions from fossil fuels are warming the Arctic faster than the rest of the globe, and the Arctic Ocean is rapidly becoming ice-free. The International Energy Agency warns that over two-thirds of all proven fossil fuel reserves must remain in the ground by 2050 to avert catastrophic climate disruption. InJanuary, thejournalNaturereported that to maintain even a 50% chance of avoiding catastrophic global warming (beyond 2°C), there can be no drilling for Arctic oil. Nevertheless, Shell Oil is now exploring for oil in the Arctic with the permission of President Obama.
In a newly released study NASA’s former top climate scientist, Dr. James Hansen, says that with a 2°C temperature increase sea levels could rise at least 10 feet as soon as the middle years of this century, inundating coastal cities and even reaching inland cities such as Portland. With 10 feet of sea level rise, the dry dock where the Fennica is scheduled to be repaired would be underwater.
This drilling also poses huge risks for local marine ecosystems The Arctic is a vital breeding and feeding ground for marine life, and home to numerous indigenous peoples who rely on a healthy marine environment for their survival. Offshore Arctic oil operations pose a 75 percent chance of a spill in the Arctic, the Department of the Interior calculates. The best expert opinion is that a spill would be virtually impossible to clean up.