BELLINGHAM, Wash. — Two people have chained themselves to a support ship that is part of Royal Dutch Shell's exploratory oil drilling plans and currently moored in Washington state.
Eric Ross of the Backbone Campaign said on Saturday morning that Matt Fuller joined student activist Chiara Rose in suspending themselves from the anchor chain of the Arctic Challenger, which is in Bellingham Bay.
Rose suspended herself from the ship with a climbing harness on Friday night in protest to Shell's plan for Arctic drilling.
The Coast Guard cutter Osprey spent the night monitoring Rose but took no action, Petty Officer 3rd Class Katelyn Shearer said Saturday morning. "We're really most concerned for her safety and the safety of everyone involved," Shearer said.
Ross said both Rose and Fuller are fine and are not being harassed by the Coast Guard. But he expressed concern for Rose's health and said she must be getting dehydrated and tired after her night above the water.
Authorities spoke with the woman and asked her to remove herself. "There's no plans right now to do anything further," Shearer said.
The ship isn't scheduled to leave the port for several days.