Activists rappel off Portland bridge, hang from it to try to stop Shell icebreaker

Some of the activists hanging from the St. Johns Bridge in Portland. (Photo: KPTV/Portland)



PORTLAND (AP) — More than a dozen activists rappelled off the St. Johns Bridge Wednesday in an effort to stop a Shell Oil Arctic icebreaker from leaving Portland.

Greenpeace USA executive director Annie Leonard says the protesters dangling off the bridge have enough water and food to last for days.



The Royal Dutch Shell PLC icebreaker Fennica arrived in Portland for repairs Saturday. The Fennica was damaged earlier this month in the Aleutian Islands when it struck an underwater obstruction, tearing a gash in its hull.

Shell did not say when the Fennica would try to leave Portland.



Leonard says delaying the icebreaker will give President Barack Obama more time to reconsider giving Shell the last permit it needs to drill.

Opponents of Arctic drilling worry the area's remoteness and rugged conditions will hamper cleanup efforts in the event of a spill, risking devastation to a fragile marine ecosystem.