Protesters forced from river after trying to block Arctic-bound Shell icebreaker

Associated Press

PORTLAND, Ore.

Authorities forced protesters in kayaks from a river Thursday in Portland, Ore., where the demonstrators were trying to stop a Royal Dutch Shell icebreaker from leaving dry dock and joining an Arctic oil drilling operation.

Police also tried to lower protesters who were dangling from a bridge into the water below.

Portland police spokesman Sgt. Pete Simpson said safety was the main priority as authorities tried to move protesters away from the area. Police and Coast Guard officers were joined by firefighters and a rope-rescue team.

“This is, obviously, a very unique situation,” he said.

Greenpeace spokeswoman Cassady Sharp said the people on the St. Johns Bridge over the Willamette River would leave peacefully if they thought they were in danger.

“We’ll just have to see how their forced removal plays out right now,” Sharp said. “Right now, it’s definitely kind of a holding pattern.”

The move by authorities came hours after a federal judge in Alaska ordered Greenpeace USA to pay a fine of $2,500 for every hour that other protesters dangle from a bridge over the river to block the ship.

The bridge is at a key location on the icebreaker Fennica’s route from Portland to the Arctic. The ship’s journey will take it beneath the bridge, down the Willamette to the Columbia River, which leads to the Pacific Ocean.

The icebreaker is part of Shell’s exploration and spill-response plan off Alaska’s northwest coast. It protects Shell’s fleet from ice and carries equipment that can stop the flow of oil that gushes from wells.