Noble Discoverer In Everett

The Drill Ship Noble Discoverer arrived at the Port of Everett as scheduled this evening. The rig is docked at Pier 3 North and is here to load and unload supplies. There’s a huge amount of interest in the Noble Discoverer as it is part of the Shell Drilling Fleet set to head to Alaska next month. MyEverettNews.com checked with the Port of Everett regarding where people can view the rig and how close they can come. The Port of Everett says there are no specific dos and don’ts about viewing the ship and it will be visible from many viewpoints around Everett. Lisa Lefeber at the Port of Everett did say that safety is the Port’s paramount concern.

Because there has been talk of protests in Seattle using kayaks and small craft and because we have an active navy base we checked with Kristin Ching at Naval Station Everett about any reminders they may have. She sent us the following email message…

The federally secured waterway between the Port of Everett and the Naval Station will not be accessible. A good guideline for all vessels is to keep a distance from the base water fence line, as well as the Navy ships.

As the Noble Discoverer approached the Port of Everett, two Navy Patrol boats kept a watch on the water fence line while Coast Guard and Police boats patrolled the waterways of the Port. Several people in kayaks protested the arrival of the drll rig. They were kept 500 yards away from the ship as it was moving but did unfurl a banner and vowed to continue their protest after the ship was safely docked. While docked the so-called “kayaktivists” have to remain 100 yards from the rig.

As of 6:30pm there were no arrests or incidents reported and the rig will now undergo its scheduled loading and unloading in Everett before heading to Seattle. Above are a few MyEverettNews.com pictures of the arrival. Click to enlarge.