--- description: Hundreds of kayakers gathered in the waters off Seattle on Saturday to protest Shell's plans to begin Arctic drilling this summer. title: 'Paddle in Seattle' Protesters Rally Against Arctic Oil Exploration image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltae1c61f177307e7a/69884cf735ba6f072bc0cf48/paddle-in-seattle.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [U.S.](/section/us/) ## U.S. Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [Environment](/tag/environment/) ## Environment Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # 'Paddle in Seattle' Protesters Rally Against Arctic Oil Exploration  by [Justin Worland](/author/justin-worland/)  ## Justin Worland Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Senior Correspondent May 17, 2015 4:59 PM CUT  Activists who oppose Royal Dutch Shell's plans to drill for oil in the Arctic Ocean prepare their kayaks for the "Paddle in Seattle" protest on May 16, 2015, in Seattle. Activists who oppose Royal Dutch Shell's plans to drill for oil in the Arctic Ocean prepare their kayaks for the "Paddle in Seattle" protest on May 16, 2015, in Seattle.Martha Bellisle—AP  by [Justin Worland](/author/justin-worland/)  ## Justin Worland Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Senior Correspondent May 17, 2015 4:59 PM CUT Hundreds of kayakers [gathered](http://news.yahoo.com/anti-arctic-drilling-kayaktivists-hold-shell-no-protest-070432572--finance.html "undefined") in the waters of Seattle’s Elliott Bay on Saturday to protest Shell’s plans to begin Arctic drilling this summer. The group that planned the event, called the “Paddle in Seattle,” said Saturday’s demonstration began a three-day “massive peaceful resistance,” the Associated Press [reports](http://news.yahoo.com/anti-arctic-drilling-kayaktivists-hold-shell-no-protest-070432572--finance.html "undefined"). Protesters of all ages, on land and in the water, carried signs with phrases like “Climate Justice” and ”Shell No, Seattle Draws The Line.” On Monday, the group plans to block access to the oil giant’s rig parked in the Port of Seattle’s Terminal 5 and delay preparations for drilling. Environmental activists argue that Shell’s drilling plans in the Arctic pose a threat to local wildlife and will contribute to dependence on fossil fuels. They also cite the company’s failed attempt to drill in 2012 as evidence that Shell would not be able to respond adequately to a large-scale oil spill. Shell [received permission](http://time.com/3854262/shell-arctic-drilling-plan/ "undefined") from the federal government to begin oil drilling in the Arctic last week, but the company still faces hurdles from other government agencies. For one, the mayor of Seattle tried to block the company from docking its rig in the city’s port. \[[_AP_](http://news.yahoo.com/anti-arctic-drilling-kayaktivists-hold-shell-no-protest-070432572--finance.html "undefined")\] ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/3881832/seattle-kayakers-oil-rig-arctic-drilling/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/3881832/seattle-kayakers-oil-rig-arctic-drilling/"},"headline":"'Paddle in Seattle' Protesters Rally Against Arctic Oil Exploration","datePublished":"2015-05-17T16:59:13.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-22T07:23:47.734Z","description":"Shell plans to begin drilling in the Arctic this summer","url":"https://time.com/3881832/seattle-kayakers-oil-rig-arctic-drilling/","keywords":["Environment"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltae1c61f177307e7a/69884cf735ba6f072bc0cf48/paddle-in-seattle.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Justin Worland","jobTitle":"Senior Correspondent","url":"https://time.com/author/justin-worland/"}],"articleSection":"U.S.","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltae1c61f177307e7a/69884cf735ba6f072bc0cf48/paddle-in-seattle.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Activists who oppose Royal Dutch Shell's plans to drill for oil in the Arctic Ocean prepare their kayaks for the \"Paddle in Seattle\" protest on May 16, 2015, in Seattle.","caption":"Activists who oppose Royal Dutch Shell's plans to drill for oil in the Arctic Ocean prepare their kayaks for the \"Paddle in Seattle\" protest on May 16, 2015, in Seattle.","creditText":"Martha Bellisle—AP","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/us/","name":"U.S."}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/environment/","name":"Environment"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/3881832/seattle-kayakers-oil-rig-arctic-drilling/","name":"'Paddle in Seattle' Protesters Rally Against Arctic Oil Exploration"}}]}] ```