Salvors Remove Debris Left by Environmental Concerned Citizens
Friday, July 17, 2015, 2:39 PM
Photo: GUE Seattle
The barge, which is called the Solar Polar Pioneer, was causing
problems underwater. Activists brought it into an area known as Cove 2
on May 15th as part of protests over Shell's arctic drilling plans,
organizers said. But concrete blocks were used to anchor it and some of
the cables wrapped themselves around the pilings below, they added.
Dive and salvage
teams worked to remove debris used as anchor blocks by environmental
activists protesting Shell’s Arctic drilling aboard a barge in Seattle’s
Alki Seacrest Park on May 19.
A dive team from Global Diving & Salvage, Inc., along with
divers from Global Underwater Explorers (GUE) Seattle, collaborated to
remove several concrete blocks and thick steel mooring cables that held
barge Solar Pioneer in place as the activists protested Shell’s Polar
Pioneer arctic drilling rig then housed at Seattle’s Harbor Island
Terminal 5.
When dropping the debris for mooring, the environmental group
inadvertently damaged underwater dive park Alki Cove 2. Further damage
to the marine environment as well as the endangerment of recreational
divers ensued as the barge rose and fell with the tides, causing the
steel mooring cables to sweep the area underneath, GUE explained.
Teams working off DSV Prudhoe Bay performed the cleanup on June 15,
recovering and disposing of all concrete blocks and steel cables used
at the site.
Teams of GUE Seattle SCUBA divers entered the water to locate the
debris field, attaching mooring lines and buoys so commercial salvors
could easily locate and remove the debris.
Global Diving & Salvage’s commercial dive team deployed
surface-supplied divers into the water and removed all debris without
causing any further damage to the dive park.
Financial contributors to the site’s cleanup and future restoration
include Royal Dutch Shell, Foss Maritime and John Sellers (the operator
of the Solar Pioneer).
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Photo: GUE Seattle///--------------///MAY 22, 2015SEATTLE, WASHINGTON
A construction barge was moved from the waters near Seacrest Park in Seattle Friday after activists received a letter from the Washington State Department of Natural Resources.
The barge, which is called the Solar Polar Pioneer, was causing problems underwater. Activists brought it into an area known as Cove 2 on May 15th as part of protests over Shell's arctic drilling plans, organizers said. But concrete blocks were used to anchor it and some of the cables wrapped themselves around the pilings below, they added.
"And it runs a very real risk of damaging what is already a fragile ecosystem," said diver Gregory King.
"It's just an unfortunate mistake," said protest organizer John Sellers.
Sellers said he got a permit from the Coast Guard to anchor the barge off the shores of Seacrest Park. The solar-powered platform was a main focal point of a massive recent protest that involved hundreds of kayakers.
Once organizers learned on May 18 that the barge was anchored in the middle of a popular dive site, they started to work with underwater explorers to assess the damage and come up with a plan to get it out of the area safely without causing any further damage, Sellers said.
"We've been doing everything we possibly can to move the barge safely, move it out of here, but running into a lot of government red tape," Sellers said.
Explorers told KOMO 4 News that the damage to the area doesn't appear to be as bad as they originally thought.
Longtime diver Craig Willemsen agreed. He spent about an hour Friday exploring the area around the barge.
"I did a pretty nice spin all the way around," Willemsen said. "A small bit of structure rearranged, but it really wasn't bad. It really wasn't bad."
Sellers got permission Friday to move the barge to a safer spot further up the shoreline. He said protest organizers plan to keep it out in the water as long as Shell's rigs remain in Seattle.
"Our battle is out here with Shell. We want to elevate the voices of the people that have concerns about Shell. And we made a mistake and we want to fix that mistake," Sellers said.
