Activists in kayaks and inflatable rafts hold a banner reading 'sHellNo' beneath a bridge on the Willamette River in Portland.

The Enemy Fleet

The Noble Discoverer

A 15,000-ton, self-propelled drill ship, the Noble Discoverer was used by Shell in the Chukchi Sea in 2012. Shell failed miserably at drilling five wells that year with this ship — the disastrous "exploration" mission ended with the rig's handlers pleading guilty to eight felony marine crimes, and the ship had already failed multiple Coast Guard inspections. Things are off to a great start. The Discoverer works in tandem with a newer rig called the Polar Pioneer: "Each drilling rig will serve as the other's relief-well rig," according to a federal bureau summary posted with the plan.

The Noble Discoverer, a large blue-and-white drillship, at sea.

The Polar Pioneer

The Polar Pioneer, built by Transocean Ltd., is a rig manned by 110 people, capable of drilling to depths of 25,000 feet. Transocean, in case you’re unfamiliar, paid $1.4 billion in criminal penalties in 2013 for its role in the 2010 BP Gulf Coast disaster. After the ruling, oil analyst Phil Weiss remarked: "The bottom line to me is they now can put away the big black cloud that has been hanging over them. I take this as a positive, even if the number is a little higher than I expected."

The Polar Pioneer, a massive yellow semi-submersible drilling rig, docked near green hills under a blue sky.

On April 20, 2010, the Deepwater Horizon rig — while drilling a mile-deep well — suffered a methane gas leak that caused an explosion, killing 11 men. BP and Transocean had "multiple safety management system deficiencies that contributed to the Macondo incident," and neither company had adequate safety protocols in place, according to a July 2012 report from the U.S. Chemical Safety Board.

I'm not one to jump to conclusions, but Transocean's track record isn't exactly reassuring. I wouldn't trust one of their drills in any ocean. If this Shell operation goes wrong, are BP and Transocean going to fight over who's responsible? I'd encourage you to look through the company's history on Wikipedia — most of it is well-sourced. But just think about it for a second: these are the people we're trusting to get the job done safely.

The Fennica

The Fennica is just one part of the massive fleet Shell plans to use to explore for oil and gas in the Arctic. On July 3rd, the ship suffered a severe gash to its hull in shallow waters off the coast of Alaska and made its way to Portland for repairs — giving activists a once-in-a-lifetime chance to actually stand up and do something.

The Fennica is critical to Shell's oil spill response plan, carrying a key piece of safety equipment called a capping stack — a high-tech plug, weighing up to 100 tons, used to contain a well blowout when other systems fail. Without this ship, Shell cannot legally begin drilling in the Arctic.

The Fennica, a blue-and-white icebreaker support vessel, in open water.

• One disastrous attempt by Shell to drill for oil in the Arctic in 2012, resulting in huge fines and felony convictions for one of its contractors
• Four failed Coast Guard inspections on Shell's oil rigs this year
• A 75% chance of a spill if Shell commercially extracts oil from the Alaskan Arctic
• 7 billion dollars spent on drilling in the Arctic, with nothing to show for it

And let's not forget some of Shell's latest disasters. Below is a partial list of oil spills from the last three years — it should be clear that nothing good can come of this operation.

Screenshot of Wikipedia's list of major oil spills between 2011 and 2015, showing spill name, location, date, and minimum tonnes spilled for incidents including the Lac-Mégantic rail disaster and several North Dakota pipeline spills.

The Shell oil company logo.

The #ShellNo Resistance

They are literally confronting one of the most powerful multinational corporations in the world, Royal Dutch Shell, paddling kayaks out into the ocean to blockade Shell's monstrous yellow, blue, and white Arctic vessel. They had a clear view of the Polar Pioneer as it towered over Terminal Five at the mouth of the Duwamish. The rig is a symbol of the system we need to change, and a very real target we need to stop. So they paddled out before dawn to meet it, hoping to keep the rig out of the Arctic as long as possible. This would only be the beginning of the effort to stop Shell's Arctic ambitions.

This movement traces back to the fall of 2014, when Shell put in a bid for Arctic drilling rights. As Shell began making moves in the region, the "Kayaktivists" were right on their heels — kayak training began early this year.

When the Polar Pioneer docked in Seattle, Shell soon found it hadn't arrived alone. On May 16, 2015, climate activists from Seattle and around the country took to the water in kayaks and surrounded the docks to make their voices heard.

Dozens were arrested on June 15th while trying to prevent the Polar Pioneer from leaving port. The rig was finally able to leave after police cleared activists from the waterway. After departing Seattle, the Polar Pioneer was met with several more protests along its route up the coast to Alaska.

The Kayaktivists

Dozens of kayakers holding paddles and flags gather on the water with the Seattle skyline in the background.

Kayaktivists in small boats surround the Polar Pioneer drilling rig in Seattle's harbor.

Paddle in Seattle

A large crowd of kayakers on the water, with the yellow Polar Pioneer rig visible in the background.

Repel Shell

July 25, 2015 — The Fennica arrives in Portland, Oregon, for repairs. About 75 Kayaktivists assembled on the water to greet it; the rally was peaceful and no arrests were made.

July 29, 2015 — In the middle of the night, 13 activists rappelled off the St. Johns Bridge, linking ropes between them to form a hanging human barricade. More than 50 kayaks assembled on the water below. These activists — suspended in the air and afloat on the water — became, for the moment, the last thing standing between Shell Oil and its plans to drill for oil in the Arctic that summer.

Kayaktivists in a row of boats hold up a giant orange 'JUSTICE' banner on the water beneath a bridge.

Activists rappel from the St. Johns Bridge, suspended above the water on ropes hung with red and yellow banners.

Activists hoped to stall the Fennica long enough to give President Obama time to act and "be the climate change leader he says he wants to be." Shell cannot legally begin drilling without this ship on-site in case of an emergency. Time was also short — only a few weeks remained before Arctic ice would begin to reform, making drilling operations far more difficult.

July 30, 2015

At the time this article was written, these resistance warriors had been suspended from the St. Johns Bridge for over 36 hours.

Activists dangle from ropes strung with red and yellow banners beneath the St. Johns Bridge, hovering over the river.

It remains unclear whether local law enforcement plans to press charges against the protesters. "It's a complex and difficult situation," said Oregon Department of Transportation's Don Hamilton. "We're looking for the best way to resolve this. That may or may not end up involving criminal charges." Reports this morning indicate the ship has begun moving down the river — it's unclear exactly what will happen when it reaches a wall of people.

A KATU2 reporter asked one activist: "Do they plan to come down from the bridge? What's the plan?" Her reply: "I think the plan is to stop Arctic drilling."

Meme graphic styled like a road sign: a wizard blocking a gas pump, captioned 'You Shell Not Pass!'

• 2:30 — Police pulled one man out of the water and told him to leave. They're towing boats and kayaks from the water; the area has been declared off-limits.
• 3:30 — Two people confirmed detained and cited for trespassing and obstructing justice.
• 4:00 — Police begin removing Greenpeace protesters from the bridge, and increase their presence along the shoreline.
• 5:00 — The ship begins its trek up the river. We made contact with an Anon brother of ours on the ground — despite the ship's departure, spirits remained high.
• 5:55 — The ship clears the St. Johns Bridge. While many felt they’d won a great battle, there was a moment when people — including several children — could be seen weeping as the boat crossed the threshold.

Three men in tactical vests stand near the bridge, one holding a camera and another speaking on a radio.

A crowd gathers along the riverbank with the Fennica visible on the water in the distance.

A large crowd lines the waterfront beneath the St. Johns Bridge as the Fennica approaches, with red and yellow banners hanging from the bridge above.

Activists suspended beneath the St. Johns Bridge display a banner reading 'Coal Oil Gas — None Shall Pass' over a flotilla of kayaks, with Mount Hood visible in the distance.

Thanks to our activists on the ground for these exclusive photos.

With the close of this glorious series of actions, we here at Anon Resistance Movement want to personally thank everyone who took part. You selflessly put yourselves in danger, under threat of arrest, to stand up for something that matters for the future of our planet. You took direct action against a mega-corporation that is a major part of a very large problem. We salute your hard and dangerous work, and we commend your courage in standing up to block a machine built to make you feel like a speck in comparison. Personally, I have to say the bridge-suspension stunt is one of the coolest acts of civil disobedience I've ever seen — way to get creative. I respect every one of you greatly. Please keep doing what you're doing, and everyone else: support your troops. Thank you.