Royal Dutch Shell Plc (RDSA) is seeking additional drilling time in the Chukchi Sea off Alaska as delays have cost the company about two months of exploration this year.
Shell has spent $4.5 billion to obtain drilling rights, purchase equipment and procure permits from various federal agencies in pursuit of an underwater supply of oil estimated at more than 20 billion barrels.
While the company initially planned to begin in July, ice that remained longer than usual and Coast Guard concerns with a spill-containment barge, the Arctic Challenger, delayed the start and caused Shell to cut the number of wells planned for this year from five to one or two.
Shell is still waiting for clearance to begin drilling. It filed a request with the U.S. Interior Department at the end of last week for about two weeks more to drill once it gets under way, Kelly op de Weegh, a Shell spokeswoman, said by phone today.
“Ice forecast is indicating just under two more weeks of open water,” she said. “Because we could remain in the open water longer, it could also potentially allow us to drill even in the hydrocarbons zone past the Sept. 24 date.”
Drilling was to end by Sept. 24 in the Chukchi Sea, and Oct. 31 in the Beaufort Sea — and can’t resume until July — under the terms of permits Shell has already obtained.
Shell also asked Interior for approval to do some preparation work in the Arctic, such as digging holes for blowout preventers — devices designed to avert spills — on the sea floor, before the Hague-based company gets the final permit to drill, op de Weegh said.
Drillships Kulluk and Noble Discoverer departed from Dutch Harbor, Alaska, to the exploration sites earlier this month and are expected to arrive around Sept. 3, she said.
The Interior Department didn’t reply to emails and phone calls seeking comments.
To contact the reporter on this story: Katarzyna Klimasinska in Washington at [email protected]
To contact the editor responsible for this story: Jon Morgan at [email protected]
Royal Dutch Shell conspired directly with Hitler, financed the Nazi Party, was anti-Semitic and sold out its own Dutch Jewish employees to the Nazis. Shell had a close relationship with the Nazis during and after the reign of Sir Henri Deterding, an ardent Nazi, and the founder and decades long leader of the Royal Dutch Shell Group. His burial ceremony, which had all the trappings of a state funeral, was held at his private estate in Mecklenburg, Germany. The spectacle (photographs below) included a funeral procession led by a horse drawn funeral hearse with senior Nazis officials and senior Royal Dutch Shell directors in attendance, Nazi salutes at the graveside, swastika banners on display and wreaths and personal tributes from Adolf Hitler and Reichsmarschall, Hermann Goring. Deterding was an honored associate and supporter of Hitler and a personal friend of Goring.
Deterding was the guest of Hitler during a four day summit meeting at Berchtesgaden. Sir Henri and Hitler both had ambitions on Russian oil fields. Only an honored personal guest would be rewarded with a private four day meeting at Hitler’s mountain top retreat.
IN JULY 2007, MR BILL CAMPBELL (ABOVE, A RETIRED GROUP AUDITOR OF SHELL INTERNATIONAL SENT AN EMAIL TO EVERY UK MP AND MEMBER OF THE HOUSE OF LORDS: 
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A head-cut image of Alfred Donovan (now deceased) appears courtesy of The Wall Street Journal.
