PORT ANGELES — The looming Polar Pioneer oil rig floated back into Port Angeles Harbor on Wednesday, escorted by a small flotilla as it concluded its two-week journey to the city from the Arctic waters of Alaska’s Chukchi Sea.
The 355-foot-tall Transocean Ltd. rig was accompanied by an 87-foot U.S. Coast Guard patrol boat, three 25-foot response boats and four tugboats before dropping anchor, Coast Guard spokesman Dana Warr said.
The Coast Guard boats were deployed to maintain a 500-yard safety zone around the massive yellow-and-blue rig to protect mariners, “especially while it’s coming around the harbor there,” Warr said.
Warr said that while anchored, there will not be a safety zone around the rig.
But companies involved in the transport are expected to maintain security, with the Coast Guard also periodically checking on the platform.
Warr said he had not heard of any plans by protesters to make their presence known in kayaks and other small watercraft during the Polar Pioneer’s presence as they did when the rig visited Port Angeles this spring — and when a 100-yard safety zone secured its perimeter.
This time around, more than 50 crew and support personnel in the accompanying vessels could spend “around a month or longer” offloading equipment and supplies, Shell Oil Co. spokeswoman Megan Baldino said Wednesday.
Baldino said the rig’s destination after Port Angeles had not been determined.
The Polar Pioneer is leased to Royal Dutch Shell, which is Shell Oil’s parent company.
More than 130 workers connected with Shell spent about $1 million on hotel rooms and services during an April 17-May 14 stay in Port Angeles while taking on equipment and supplies for the journey north.
“Port Angeles proved to be an excellent host to our rig and our crews when we were there in the spring,” Baldino said. “I’m sure they will be happy to get a nice cup of coffee and a meal.”
Robert Utz, general manager of the Red Lion Hotel in Port Angeles, said Transocean, Shell and the tugboat company Foss Maritime had reserved five to 10 rooms a night and meeting space for this visit compared with the 40 to 100 rooms five months ago.
“Anything that pulls in business is going to be helpful during the offseason,” Utz said.
Russ Veenema, Port Angeles Regional Chamber of Commerce executive director, said Wednesday that rig-related office space has been leased at The Landing mall.
He said the main economic impact that you “can’t put a dollar figure on” is Port Angeles’ association with the rig on social media and Seattle-area news reports.
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Senior Staff Writer Paul Gottlieb can be reached at 360-452-2345, ext. 5060, or at pgottlieb@peninsuladailynews.com.
Reporter Rob Ollikainen contributed to this report.
