Woman hanging on Shell ship since Friday ends drill protest

  • Monday, May 25, 2015 10:44pm
  • News

BELLINGHAM, Wash. (AP) — The woman who had been hanging off the anchor chain of a support ship that is part of Royal Dutch Shell’s plans to explore for oil in the Arctic Ocean ended her dayslong protest north of Seattle on Monday morning.

Student activist Chiara D’Angelo requested assistance getting down from her perch on the Arctic Challenger in the Bellingham harbor around 9:30 a.m. Monday, the Coast Guard said.

D’Angelo was checked for hypothermia and then released, Petty Officer 3rd Class Katelyn Shearer said.

ADVERTISEMENT
0 seconds of 0 secondsVolume 0%
Press shift question mark to access a list of keyboard shortcuts
00:00
00:00
00:00
 

She spent the weekend attached to the ship in an environmental protest against Shell’s plans to drill for oil in the Chukchi Sea off northwestern Alaska. The oil company’s proposal also has drawn large protests in Seattle, where a massive, floating drill rig is being prepared for the excursion.

A second protester, Matt Fuller, joined D’Angelo from Saturday morning until Sunday.

The Coast Guard cutter Ospry spent the weekend monitoring the activists but took no action, Shearer said.

Shell said Sunday that the illegal stunt would not delay its plans.

“We respect the rights of individuals to express their views related to our Arctic program, so long as they do so safely and lawfully,” company spokesman Curtis Smith said.

Smith said the two activists trespassed on private property, while compromising their safety and that of others. He commended the Coast Guard and local law enforcement for de-escalating the incident.

Lt. Cmdr. Justin Noggle, chief of enforcement at Coast Guard Sector Puget Sound, said Sunday that it is the agency’s duty to promote safety on the seas and in ports and to protect the First Amendment rights of people to safely and lawfully assemble on the water.

The Arctic Challenger is a converted barge that is designed to launch containment equipment in the event of a spill. Protesters have questioned its ability to be effective in the harsh Arctic climate.

Earlier this month, hundreds of activists in kayaks swarmed Elliott Bay in Seattle to protest Shell’s plans.

More in News

Foliage surrounds the Soldotna Police Department sign on Tuesday, Aug. 30, 2022, in Soldotna, Alaska. (Ashlyn O’Hara/Peninsula Clarion)
Soldotna OKs $170,000 for new police camera system

The existing system was purchased only during the last fiscal year, which ended June 30, 2024.

Winter Marshall-Allen of the Homer Organization for More Equitable Relations, Homer Mayor Rachel Lord, and Jerrina Reed of Homer PRIDE pose for a photo after the mayoral proclamation recognizing June as Pride Month on Tuesday, May 27 at the Cowles Council Chambers. (Photo courtesy of Winter Marshall-Allen)
City of Homer recognizes Pride Month, Juneteenth

Mayor Rachel Lord brought back the tradition of mayoral proclamations May 12.

File
Potential remains of missing Texas boaters discovered in sunken vessel

The vessel capsized 16 miles west of Homer in Kachemak Bay in August.

A sign for The Goods Sustainable Grocery is seen in Soldotna, Alaska, on Tuesday, May 20, 2025. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)
New Saturday Market to launch this summer at The Goods

The summer bazaar will feature craftspeople from around the central and southern Kenai Peninsula.

Council member Alex Douthit speaks during a meeting of the Kenai City Council in Kenai, Alaska, on Wednesday, June 5, 2024. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)
Kenai loosens restrictions on employee purchase of city property

Municipal officers like city council members are still prohibited from buying property.

Mount Spurr is seen from the Kenai Peninsula, Alaska, on May 11, 2025. (Peninsula Clarion file)
Likelihood of Spurr eruption continues to decline

Spurr is located about 61 miles away from Kenai and 117 miles away from Homer.

Anchor Point Chamber of Commerce President Dawson Slaughter (left) and Susie Myhill, co-owner of Anchor River Lodge and co-chair for the chamber’s sign committee, unveil the new “most westerly highway point” sign on Tuesday in Anchor Point. (Delcenia Cosman/Homer News)
Anchor Point chamber unveils new highway sign

The sign marks the “most westerly” highway point in North America.

Alaska State Troopers logo.
1 dead in Anchor River vehicle turnover

Alaska State Troopers were notified at 7:46 a.m. of a vehicle upside down in the Anchor River.

The barge, crane, and first pile of rock for the Kenai Bluff Stabilization Project is seen during a break in work at the bank of the Kenai River in Kenai, Alaska, on Tuesday, May 27, 2025. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)
Kenai bluff project underway

A roughly 5,000-foot-long berm will be constructed from the mouth of the Kenai River to near the city dock.

Most Read