Protesters can occupy this stretch of Elliott Bay through June 15. (Credit: USCG 13th District External Affairs)

When Shell’s Arctic drill rigs arrive in Seattle next month, they’ll have company.

The Coast Guard has approved a 2-million-square-foot "First Amendment Area" that protestors can legally occupy in the water next to Terminal 5. That’s the dock where Shell will park its rigs under a new lease with the Port of Seattle. 

Environmentalists were outraged by that agreement. Now, a coalition called S-Hell No is recruiting kayakers and rowers to paddle out and show their opposition to Arctic drilling.

In a statement, the Coast Guard's 13th District expressed support for peaceful demonstrations.

"The Coast Guard's involvement helps ensure safety of those using the waterway both as a forum for self-expression and as a mode of transportation," the statement read.

Activists will have to stay at least 1,500 feet from Shell’s Arctic fleet while the vessels are moving. But when they’re stopped, that barrier will fall to just 300 feet. The protest zone will stay open through June.

The Coast Guard won’t be making the same allowances across the board, though. They decided not to set up a free speech area in Port Angeles, where the first of Shell’s drill rigs is set to arrive on Friday.

The Peninsula Daily News reports that the Polar Pioneer rig will stay a few weeks for "routine outfitting" before it heads on to Seattle.