PORT ANGELES — Somewhere in the vast Pacific Ocean, about 1,200 miles west of North Olympic Peninsula, the giant Polar Pioneer oil rig is making its way towards Port Angeles Harbor.
The 355-foot-tall behemoth was heading east at about 8.6 knots, or 10 mph, at the end of last week, according to www.MarineTraffic.com.
The scheduled arrival of the Shell Oil rig was being kept under wraps by company officials.
Polar Pioneer left Dutch Harbor, Alaska, behind two tugs Oct. 13.
Its journey has already been marked with adventure.
A Polar Pioneer support vessel, the 270-foot Tor Viking II, rescued French sailor Manu Wattecamps-Etienne and his cat, Pipalup, from a sinking sailboat in high seas about 350 miles southeast of Dutch Harbor on Tuesday.
Rescued man en route
Wattecamps-Etienne is en route to Port Angeles with the Shell vessels, an Alaska Coast Guard District 17 spokesman said Friday.
Royal Dutch Shell stopped exploring for oil in Arctic waters in September.
As a result, the Polar Pioneer will be making its second stop in Port Angeles this year.
The towering rig was anchored in Port Angeles Harbor from April 17 to May 14.
Shell spokeswoman Megan Baldino has said the Polar Pioneer likely will remain in Port Angeles for a similar amount of time to offload supplies and equipment.
The first stop in Port Angeles pumped an estimated $1 million into the city’s economy in hotel stays, retail sales and rig-related services, according to a report prepared for Shell and the Alaska State Chamber of Commerce.
Wattecamps-Etienne and his cat were uninjured when he jumped from the sinking sailboat into the oil rig’s support vessel.
The 28-year-old sailor gave an account of the harrowing rescue on a GoFundMe website, which had a Coast Guard video of the rescue, at www.gofundme.com/wb6wj8ts.
The sailboat suffered “catastrophic damage” when it was knocked over by a rogue wave and began to take on water, he said on the site.
“I give all the thanks in the world to the United States Coast Guard for responding to my distress call and sending help,” Wattecamps-Etienne wrote.
He added: “Many thanks to the vessel and crew that came to my rescue. A Swedish ice breaking ship cleverly and rightfully named the Tor Viking meaning ‘mighty.’”
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Reporter Rob Ollikainen can be reached at 360-452-2345, ext. 5072, or at rollikainen@peninsuladailynews.com.
Reporter Mark Swanson contributed to this report.
