The US has given Royal Dutch Shell the final permission to drill for oil in the Arctic.

The Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE) announced the oil giant is allowed to begin exploratory drilling activities into potential oil-bearing zones in Alaska.

They will take place in one of the wells at the Burger Prospect, Burger J, located around 70 miles northwest of the village of Wainwright.

The company applied for the permit following a rejection this year as it didn’t have a particular emergency response vessel on hand.

The BSEE previously allowed Shell to begin drilling only the top sections of two wells in the Chukchi Sea.

A Shell spokesperson said: “We remain committed to operating in a safe, environmentally responsible manner and look forward to evaluating what could potentially become a national energy resource base.”

Earlier this year activists blocked Shell’s Arctic drilling rig in protest against the drilling plants.