Anti-Shell activists come down from oil barge anchor in Bellingham
Jun 12, 2015, 8:26 AM | Updated: 10:01 am
ShellNo activists have attached themselves to the anchor chain of a vessel belonging to the oil company in Bellingham. (Courtesy of the Backbone Campaign)
(Courtesy of the Backbone Campaign)
ShellNo activists in Bellingham attached themselves to the anchor chain of a vessel belonging to the oil company Friday morning.
Western Washington University students Erika Osland and Sawyer Joy spent the morning hanging from the chain in protest of Shell Oil’s intention to explore the Arctic for oil.
After a visit from the Coast Guard shorlty after 9 a.m., the two young women decided to come down from the chain on their own accord.
The two women were then taken to the Bellingham Police Department to be interviewed by officers, according to Rob Lewis with the Backbone Campaign, an anti-Shell activists organization.
“About 3:30 a.m. two young women ascended the anchor chain of the American Trader, which is a cargo vessel leased by Shell to deliver anchors,” Lewis said. “They are suspended form the chain using climbing gear”
Using hammocks and camping gear filled with supplies, Joy and Osland remained hanging from the anchor chain all morning — just feet above the water.
“These two young women, they are both college students, they are young and they are looking at the future and feel like something has to be done,” Lewis said. “And our normal political channels are not up to the task.”
In a Backbone Campaign press release, Joy and Osland explained their reason to hang out in Bellingham.
“People need to step up and put a stop to this madness,” Osland said. “If not us, who? If not now, when?”
Joy agreed.
“It’s really very simple,” Joy said. “The oil needs to be left in the ground and the Arctic needs to be protected.”
The barge is leased by Shell Oil and is used as a support vessel for the oil drilling fleet. The barge is docked with tug boats in Bellingham. A crane was recently installed on it, according to the Backbone Campaign.
Lewis said that the Backbone Campaign believes the barge will deliver anchors for the drilling fleet to use in the arctic.
“It’s been determined that we can’t burn the oil we have already drilled because it will send the climate over the edge,” Lewis said. “So why drill for more?”
