(Adds judge grants restraining order)
By Alex Dobuzinskis
LOS ANGELES, April 11 (Reuters) - Six Greenpeace activistsrappelled down from an oil rig in the Pacific Ocean on Saturdayafter spending six days living on the structure to protestagainst drilling in the Arctic, the environmental organizationsaid.
The multinational team climbed aboard Polar Pioneer, an oilrig leased by Royal Dutch Shell Plc that is bound forthe Arctic, on Monday as it was being transported by aheavy-lift vessel about 750 miles (1,210 km) northwest ofHawaii.
Worsening weather conditions that were expected to bringhigh swells led the six activists to leave the oil rig onSaturday, a Greenpeace representative said in an email.
They climbed down into inflatable boats and returned to theGreenpeace ship Esperanza, which had been stationed in the areain recent days and which had brought the activists out into thePacific Ocean for the protest.
Shell said the protesters had jeopardized their safety andthat of the crew assigned to the oil rig.
The company had filed a complaint in federal court in Alaskaseeking an order to remove the activists. On Saturday evening, ajudge granted a restraining order against Greenpeace to preventa repeat of the protest, Royal Dutch Shell spokeswoman Kelly opde Weegh said in an email.
"We're always open to an honest discussion about thechallenges and benefits of exploring for energy in the Arctic,but we cannot condone Greenpeace's unlawful and unsafe tactics,"she said.
Greenpeace said its team of activists did not interfere withthe crew transporting the oil rig. The organization had earliersaid on its website that the activists had enough supplies tolast for several days on the rig.
"I might be climbing off this oil rig, but this is merely atransition into the next step of saving the Arctic," AmericanAliyah Field, one of the six activists, said in a statement. (Addtional reporting by Curis skinner in San Francisco; Editingby Marguerita Choy, Robert Birsel)