LIVE UPDATES: Shell's Polar Pioneer oil rig enters Elliott Bay



SEATTLE -- A 400-foot-long Arctic oil drilling rig pulled by tugs has arrived in Seattle waters despite environmentalists' protests and the city's opposition to letting it dock here.

The Polar Pioneer drilling rig arrived in Seattle waters Thursday afternoon and was headed to Terminal 5.

The Polar Pioneer is one of two drilling rigs that Royal Dutch Shell plans to park in Seattle until drilling season in the Arctic begins in the summer.

Shell's plans created a showdown not just with environmentalists but also with the city of Seattle. Mayor Ed Murray says a new permit is needed for the rigs to dock at Terminal 5, but Shell says current permits are sufficient.


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