EVERETT, Wash. — Royal Dutch Shell's second Arctic drilling ship, the Noble Discoverer, is on the move from Washington state to Alaska as it prepares to explore for oil in the Arctic Ocean.
KIRO-TV reports the 572-foot drill ship was escorted from the harbor in Everett by two tug boats and two Coast Guard vessels.
The U.S. Coast says it temporarily detained five protesters in kayaks who tried to stop the vessel as it left Everett around 4 a.m. Tuesday.
Chief Petty Officer David Mosley says the activists were brought to shore and issued citations for violating the safety zone around the drill ship. All have been released.
Shell's drill rig, the Polar Pioneer, left Seattle earlier this month. Two dozen protesters were cited when they tried to block that rig from leaving Seattle.
Starting next month, Shell proposes to drill up to four exploration wells over two years in the Chukchi Sea off Alaska's coast.