With Arctic drilling scheduled to go ahead this summer, Shell Oil is expected to have a big presence in Port of Dutch Harbor. In light of that, the Coast Guard has now committed to stationing more forces there in an effort to keep fish processing operations and other marine activity moving along smoothly.

At a recent hearing before the state legislature, Capt. Buddy Custard laid out the Coast Guard’s plans for their summer Arctic operations. He says that because Greenpeace has already launched a protest in New Zealand over exploratory drilling, the United States is making an extra effort to make sure that port operations in Alaska are not disrupted by dissent over oil politics. “Whether you’re [for drilling] or against it, it’s very emotional. And with that, our job in the Coast Guard is to make sure that if there are any protest activities that it does not disrupt commerce, that it does not disrupt a port,” says Custard.

That means sending out a group of “deployable specialized forces” to Unalaska in June. While the Coast Guard couldn’t provide specifics on those forces for security reasons, Custard did explain that they would be composed of small boats. He emphasized that the security forces were being brought in to support the community, not the oil companies.

“We’re not here for Shell, we’re here to ensure a safe commerce transportation system,” says Custard. “Dutch Harbor at that point in time is going to be taking in a lot of fish … we’ve got to make sure that the fishermen can get their products in and that the products can get out. We have to got to make sure that the community can receive its fuel, its food … And if there is protest activities, they are allowed to protest so long as it’s safe and lawful.”

But right now, Greenpeace says that shutting down the Port of Dutch Harbor isn’t a strategy they’re pursuing. Deputy Campaign Director Dan Howells says that they’re more interested in blocking Shell’s plan through the legal process.

“We don’t have any plans for things up north or in the Pacific Northwest,” says Howellls.

Shell is expected to stage 22 of their vessels in Unalaska during the early summer months in advance of their drilling operations. Those supply and oil spill responses ships are expected to leave the Port of Dutch Harbor before July, and when they leave, the Coast Guard presence is expected to follow the Shell fleet up to the Beaufort Sea.