Royal Dutch Shell seeks injunction to remove protesters from Arctic drill rig crossing Pacific

Royal Dutch Shell PLC is seeking a court injunction to remove Greenpeace activists who boarded a vessel carrying a Shell oil drilling rig across the Pacific.

Shell USA spokeswoman Kelly Op De Weegh says by email the company Tuesday asked a U.S. District Court judge in Anchorage to order protesters to disembark immediately.

Op De Weegh says boarding a vessel on the high seas is dangerous and is not a peaceful demonstration.

Six Greenpeace activists protesting Arctic offshore drilling on Monday boarded the heavy-lift vessel Blue Marlin about 750 miles northwest of Hawaii.

The ship is carrying the Polar Pioneer, a semi-submersible drilling unit that Shell will use this summer in the Chukchi (chuk-CHEE) Sea off Alaska's northwest coast if the company moves forward with exploration plans.