By Victoria Cavaliere
SEATTLE, May 16 (Reuters) - Hundreds of activists, many inboats and kayaks, were gearing up on Saturday to protest plansto store two Royal Dutch Shell drilling rigs inSeattle's waterfront before the oil giant resumes Arctic oilexploration this summer.
Environmental groups have vowed to disrupt the oil giant'sefforts to use the Port of Seattle as a home base as it outfitsthe rigs to return to the Chukchi Sea off Alaska, sayingdrilling in the remote Arctic waters could lead to an ecologicalcatastrophe.
On Friday, about 20 kayakers met the first of two rigs thatwill dock in Seattle, unfurling a banner reading "ArcticDrilling = Climate Change." On land, other protesters erected ametal tripod to try to block access to the rigs.
Saturday's protest is expected to draw much larger crowds,including a flotilla of boats and kayaks around Shell's terminalat the port. Another demonstration was planned for Monday,according to organizer ShellNo.
"Shell's drilling rigs are a prime example of the rootcauses and injustice of the climate crisis," the group said onits website.
The second rig is expected at the port in the coming daysbut the exact date has not been announced.
Environmental groups, including Greenpeace, contend weatherconditions make it impossible to safely drill in the Arctic, aregion that helps regulate the global climate because of itsvast layers of sea ice.
Opponents of the rigs docking in Seattle, a city known forits environmental causes, include Mayor Ed Murray and the CityCouncil.
Shell was bringing in the rigs and moving ahead as planneddespite the opposition and a ruling earlier this week by thecity's planning department that the port's agreement with thecompany was in violation of its city permit.
"The timeline now is just to make sure the rigs are ready togo," said Curtis Smith, a Shell spokesman.
Earlier this week, the federal Bureau of Ocean EnergyManagement gave conditional approval to Shell's resumption offossil fuel exploration in the Arctic, which was paused after amishap-filled 2012 season.
The decision was met with approval by some Alaska lawmakers,who believe it will bring money and jobs to the state.
"Approval of Shell's exploration plan for Alaska's ChukchiSea marks another important step toward the United Statesassuming a leadership role in the Arctic," Republican SenatorLisa Murkowski said in a statement. (Reporting by Victoria Cavaliere; Editing by Cynthia Johnstonand Eric Beech)
