Shell vessel departs for the Arctic
USA
SEATTLE, June 12, 2015 – Shell’s first vessel to resume activity in the Arctic, oil spill containment barge Arctic Challenger, has disembarked from the US state of Washington and is en route to Dutch Harbor, Alaska.
The barge will eventually be joined by nearly two-dozen support vessels set to accompany drilling rigs for exploration activities in the Chukchi and Beaufort Seas.
Shell has been met with opposition to its drilling programme as environmental groups say that oil spills would be extremely difficult to clean as the region is covered in sea ice. Protesters have been trying for weeks to block access to the barge.
The company’s drilling rig, the Polar Pioneer, is expected to depart Seattle by the end of June. Shell estimates that it will be able to clean 90-95 percent of any oil spillage in the event of an accident.
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