PORT ANGELES — It is clear the Polar Pioneer will be at anchor in Port Angeles Harbor for a little while longer, but exactly how long remains unknown.
“As of today, no decision has been made in regards to extending our time in Port Angeles, but that is potentially an option,” said Megan Baldino, Shell Oil spokeswoman.
The mobile oil rig has been anchored in Port Angeles at no cost to the company since April 17.
The Polar Pioneer had been scheduled to be towed to Terminal 5 in the Port of Seattle this week, but those plans were delayed when Seattle’s mayor said Monday his city’s port must apply for a new permit before it can host the oil rig.
The mayor made the announcement after the Seattle Department of Planning and Development issued a code interpretation stating an additional use permit is required before the Polar Pioneer and two accompanying tugboats can moor in Seattle.
While anchoring in Port Angeles Harbor is free, a time limit is imposed on how long vessels can stay at each of the five anchorages in the harbor.
Federal regulations limit “stays in any anchorage to 30 days unless the captain of the port allows a longer stay,” said Sara Mooers, spokeswoman for the Coast Guard District 13 office.
The captain of port for the Puget Sound Sector — which includes Port Angeles — is Capt. M.W. “Joe” Raymond, who also serves as sector commander.
“By policy, we normally limit Port Angeles Harbor stays to 10 days unless the captain of the port grants an extension,” Mooers said.
The Polar Pioneer received an extension. It has been at anchor in the Port Angeles Harbor for the past 20 days as of today.
“In this situation, the captain of the port has granted a longer stay, as this is the best anchorage to accomplish the work being done to the vessel there,” Mooers said.
“In making this determination, we consulted with the pilots and vessel agents to weigh all factors.”
If Shell seeks an extension to keep the Polar Pioneer in the Port of Port Angeles after the 30 days is up May 17, “we would again weigh all factors before granting it,” Mooers said.
“At this time, we have not received a request for extension.”
Shell may be awaiting comment from the Port of Seattle Commission, which will meet to discuss this issue at its next public meeting this coming Tuesday at Pier 69.
“We’ll watch closely the actions of all interested parties in the coming days and, at the same time, consider our options,” Baldino said.
In the meantime, “Port Angeles has proven an excellent host,” she said.
“We truly appreciate the local expertise and infrastructure and look forward to continuing to work there.”
Bryan Stevens of the Seattle Department of Planning and Development previously noted the permitting process could take “anywhere from a few weeks to several months.”
The Polar Pioneer had been scheduled to be anchored at Seattle’s Terminal 5 briefly before a planned trip north to the Arctic Ocean.
The 400-foot-long, 355-foot-tall rig owned by Transocean Ltd. is being leased by Royal Dutch Shell, the parent company of Shell Oil Co., and is one of two drill rigs the company hopes to use for exploratory drilling this summer in the Chukchi Sea off Alaska’s northern shore.
After the drilling season was over, plans called for it to return to Seattle’s Terminal 5, where it would be at anchor for at least six months during the winter.
Environmentalists have sued over that plan, claiming the Port of Seattle broke state law in February when officials signed a two-year lease with Foss Maritime without first conducting an environmental review.
Port of Seattle officials have not commented on the issue.
Foss is a client of Shell that provides full-service vessel repair and maintenance — as well as new construction — in the Seattle area and would service the Polar Pioneer while it is docked at Terminal 5.
The Noble Discoverer, a drill ship in Shell’s Arctic fleet also on its way to Seattle, is expected to arrive there at an unspecified date this month.
It will not moor in Terminal 5, according to the Seattle Department of Planning and Development.
Information about what terminal the Noble Discoverer is slated for, and if it, too, will be affected by the code interpretation, was not available Monday.
In early April, the Obama administration launched a formal 30-day review of Shell’s plan for boring up to six exploratory oil wells in Arctic waters.
The Interior Department’s Bureau of Ocean Energy Management says on its website, www.boem.gov/shell-chukchi, that it has until Sunday — 30 calendar days from April 10 — to evaluate the plan.
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Sequim-Dungeness Valley Editor Chris McDaniel can be reached at 360-681-2390, ext. 5052, or cmcdaniel@peninsuladailynews.com.
