EVERETT — A drilling ship with a controversial past will stop at the Port of Everett next week to load and unload cargo, according to a port spokeswoman.
The port hasn’t received any berth requests, so no further details are available, she said.
The ship, the Noble Discoverer, is coming to Puget Sound as part of Royal Dutch Shell’s plans to do exploratory drilling in Arctic waters this summer. It is part of a fleet to be parked in Puget Sound in coming weeks that is targeted by environmental activists.
The energy company is still trying to get permits required to drill in the Chukchi Sea off Alaska’s northwest coast.
The vessel coming to Everett has a 175-foot-tall oil derrick, and it can drill oil wells 20,000 feet below ground and in 1,000-foot-deep water, according to the website of its owner, Noble Corp., a London-based offshore drilling company. Shell has contracted to use the Noble Discoverer from February 2014 until December 2016, according to Noble’s website.
The company was charged with several felonies related to operating the Noble Discoverer while drilling for Shell off Alaska in 2012. Last year, Noble pleaded guilty to eight felony charges, agreed to pay $12.2 million dollars in fines and community service payments, adopt an environmental compliance plan and was placed on four years probation, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.
The centerpiece of Shell’s plans this year is a 400-foot-tall drilling platform called the Polar Pioneer. It is currently in Port Angeles. Shell had planned to tow it to Seattle for maintenance work, but city leaders are hoping to keep the rig out. Seattle Mayor Ed Murray said Monday that the port needs a new land-use permit if it is to serve as the base for Shell’s Arctic drilling fleet. Getting the permit could take months, according to news reports.
Along with other Washington and Alaska ports, Everett was considered as a base for the drill rig, but Shell opted for Seattle, said Lisa Lefeber, the Port of Everett spokeswoman.
Several ships contracted by Shell to support the rig also will use the Port of Everett, she said.
The ships are the Aiviq, Ross Chouest, Harvey Supporter, Harvey Champion, Harvey Explorer and Sisuaq.
Throughout the season, the port expects the additional traffic to directly support dozens of jobs and bring millions of dollars in local spending, she said.
Environmentalists say having the rig in Puget Sound increases pollution risk and that oil companies haven’t shown they are capable of handling oil spills in icy Arctic waters. Environmentalists are planning protest action in Puget Sound involving kayaks.
All the ships that are expected to be in Everett were included in safety regulations announced last week by the Coast Guard.
The temporary rules require demonstrators to stay at least 100 yards away while the ships are anchored or moored, and 500 yards while they are under way.
Dan Catchpole: 425-339-3454; dcatchpole@heraldnet.com; Twitter: @dcatchpole.
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