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January, 2013:

Shell to Tow Grounded Alaska Drill Rig 30 Miles in Recovery Plan

By Isaac Arnsdorf – Jan 6, 2013 8:48 AM GMT

Royal Dutch Shell Plc (RDSA) plans to tow the drilling rig that ran aground in Alaska about 30 miles to a safe harbor after naval architects determined the vessel is safe to move.

The Kulluk, which ran aground after breaking from a tow boat during a storm on Dec. 31, will be moved to Kiliuda Bay, where more tests can be conducted, according to a Jan. 5 statement on the website of the Unified Command in Anchorage. The timing depends on weather, tides and readiness. read more

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US Army joins battle to save stricken Shell rig

Adding to Shell’s problems, one of the company’s leading shareholders told The Sunday Telegraph that the market was “nervous” about the Arctic as there would be “hell to pay” in the event of a spill.

The US Army has been called in to help with the battle to salvage Royal Dutch Shell’s stricken Kulluk Arctic drilling rig, which has now been beached in environmentally delicate waters for nearly a week.

By : Sunday Telegraph 6 Jan 2013

The Kulluk, one of two rigs crucial to Shell’s controversial Arctic oil exploration plans, ran aground on New Year’s Eve as it was hit by a fierce storm while being towed to Seattle for maintenance.

Two Chinook helicopters from the 16th Combat Aviation Brigade flew to the scene on Friday to help transport heavy equipment for the salvage operations.

Three vessels are on site and a further 12 en route, according to the Unified Command managing the incident yesterday.

The Kulluk “continues to remain stable and upright and there is no evidence of sheen in the vicinity,” it said, indicating that the 143,000 gallons of diesel and 12,000 gallons of other oil products on board had not leaked. read more

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Kulluk in an uncontrolled, unplanned, totally screwed-up situation

It could take until spring for crews to remove a grounded oil-drilling ship from rocks near a remote Alaska island, thanks to the fury of the North Pacific winter, a veteran marine salvager said. “Now it’s in an uncontrolled, unplanned, totally screwed-up situation”…

Alaska winter will challenge Shell ship salvage

DAN JOLING | January 5, 2013 03:16 PM EST

ANCHORAGE, Alaska — It could take until spring for crews to remove a grounded oil-drilling ship from rocks near a remote Alaska island, thanks to the fury of the North Pacific winter, a veteran marine salvager said.

The Kulluk, a Royal Dutch Shell PLC barge, ran aground during a fierce year-end storm, and more than 600 people are working on its recovery. But Dan Magone, who has worked on other major groundings in Alaska, said he’d be surprised if they can remove it any time soon.

“I’d really be shocked if this thing is so lightly aground and so lightly damaged that they can just go pull this thing off right away,” said Magone, president of Magone Marine, in a telephone interview from his headquarters in Dutch Harbor. read more

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Royal Dutch Shell Executive Nebahat Albayrak

By John Donovan

In October 2012 we published an article: “Failed socialist politician Nebahat Albayrak appointed as Shell EP Vice President

We note that an extraordinary article by Dutch investigative journalist Ton Biesemaat, about the same Royal Dutch Shell executive, has just been published in Dutch: Meehuilen met de wolven: Shell en de twee gezichten van Nebahat Albayrak 

This is the link to the Google translation into English.

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Shell ship wreck debacle

By John Donovan

News update on Kulluk ship wreck debacle: Security guards are stationed outside the command post set up in The Best Western Kodiak Inn trying to stem the leaks of information feeding a media firestorm. Does that sound like the actions of a company wishing to be completely open about the crisis which has engulfed its $multi-billion  Arctic drilling misadventure? On the subject of leaks, Shell claims that the flooding below decks on the grounded ship comes from open hatches, not due to cracks or holes in the hull. That’s okay then. Shell shareholders can relax. Shell has admitted that the Kulluks generators are wrecked. The weather forecast for today is strong winds and high seas. In other words, more of the same conditions that led to the order to abandon ship in the first place and drove the ill-fated ancient vessel onto the rocks, and likewise Shell’s reputation (already holed by its past notorious “Touch F*** All” culture on North Sea platforms, putting production and profits before the safety of offshore workers). read more

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8 reasons why Shell can’t be trusted in the Arctic

Shell’s most recent ‘mishap’ a few days ago was not the first setback the oil giant has suffered in its plans to drill for oil in the Arctic. In fact, it’s the eighth in a growing list of reasons why Shell should not be trusted in the Arctic.

1. Shell has no idea how much an oil spill clean-up would cost

In March 2012, in response to questions from the UK’s Parliamentary Environmental Audit Committee, Peter Velez, Shell’s head of emergency response in the Arctic admitted that Shell had not assessed the costs of a clean-up operation in the Arctic, leaving shareholders exposed to potentially huge financial losses.

2. Shell’s barge, the Arctic Challenger, was not deemed safe enough by the US government

In July last year the US authorities announced that a key part of Shell’s oil spill response fleet hadn’t been allowed to sail to the Arctic because it did not meet US Coast Guard safety standards. The ship, Arctic Challenger, is a 36-year-old barge used to drag safety equipment through sea ice. But US authorities are not happy with what they’ve seen on-board and didn’t feel confident the Arctic Challenger could withstand the extremely harsh Arctic environment. Originally Shell agreed that the ship would be able to withstand a 100-year storm, but company engineers are now saying that it is “no longer appropriate” for the barge to meet such onerous standards. read more

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Selection of News Articles about Kulluk Debacle

Selection of News Articles about Kulluk Debacle

Latest Shell Debacle in Alaska Part of a Larger Pattern of Risk and …: Huffington Post (blog)-Shell Oil’s string of failures in its Arctic Ocean drilling attempts continued into the New Year. One of the company’s drill rigs ran aground near …

Grounded Shell Oil Rig Off Alaska Coast Still Has No Flooding Or …: Huffington Post-ANCHORAGE, Jan 3 (Reuters) – A Shell oil drilling rig grounded off an Alaska island since a New Years Eve storm has suffered damage from … read more

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BBC NEWS: Day in pictures: 4 January 2013

CLICK ON IMAGE TO ENLARGE

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The BP disaster: Who said ‘this would be impossible in Shell?’

COMMENT RECEIVED FROM A SHELL RELATED SOURCE

Amidst all the news on Kulluk, let’s not forget about the other one

This is what you get if you use old stuff from the scrap yard…

Remember the hypocritical “blistering attack” by Shell CEO Peter Voser on BP over the devastating Gulf of Mexico oil spill:

Voser promised that Shell would never make the same mistakes as BP.

Since then, blunders and corner-cutting has led to the current debacle.

To me it is all about technical competence.

Many moons ago the Troll project was delivered on time and within budget. This was more innovative and challenging than drilling some wells in Alaska. But then we had the likes of Chapman in charge and not corner-cutting bean-counters like Voser and Henry. read more

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Shell completely incapable of safely drilling in the Arctic

“In just one year, Shell has proven over and over again that they are completely incapable of safely drilling in the Arctic. Their ships have caught fire and lost control, they’ve damaged their own spill containment equipment, and they’ve been caught entirely unprepared for the challenges of the Arctic. Now, they’ve actually run a ship carrying tens of thousands of gallons of oil aground in Alaska. This is the last straw.  We should judge Shell not by their assurances or their PR tactics, but by their record – and Shell’s record clearly demonstrates that letting them operate in the Arctic is an invitation for disaster.”

For Immediate Release    

Sierra ClubSierra Club
85 2nd St.
San Francisco, CA 94105
[email protected]
www.sierraclub.org/pressroom

January 3, 2013       

Contact:  Trey Pollard, Sierra Club, (202) 495-3058


“The Last Straw” – After Shell’s Latest Failure, Sierra Club Calls for Drilling Permits to Be Immediately Revoked

(Kodiak Island, AK) – On Monday, Royal Dutch Shell Oil drilling ship Kulluk ran aground near Kodiak Island, Alaska – the latest in a long list of failures by Shell in the company’s much-hyped but continuously failed attempt to drill in the Arctic. read more

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Shell Drilling Barge Has Damaged Generators

A Royal Dutch Shell PLC drill vessel aground off a remote Gulf of Alaska island is upright and stable but has suffered damage to generators and its upper deck.

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Congress members seek investigation of Shell barge

“This is the latest in a series of alarming blunders, including the near-grounding of another of Shell’s Arctic drilling rigs, the 47-year-old Noble Discoverer, in Dutch Harbor and the failure of its blowout containment dome, the Arctic Challenger, in lake-like conditions.”

By DAN JOLING

Associated Press

ANCHORAGE, Alaska — Calls for federal scrutiny of Royal Dutch Shell PLC drilling operations in Arctic waters swelled Thursday with a request for a formal investigation by members of Congress.

The House Sustainable Energy and Environment Coalition called on the Interior Department and the Coast Guard to jointly investigate the New Year’s Eve grounding of the Shell drilling vessel Kulluk on a remote Gulf of Alaska island, and a previous incident connected to Arctic offshore drilling operations in 2012. read more

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Rig Grounding Revives Debate Over Shell’s Arctic Drilling

By Jim Efstathiou Jr. – Jan 3, 2013 6:01 PM GMT

This week’s grounding of a rig off the coast of Alaska adds to a series of mishaps in Royal Dutch Shell Plc (RDSA)’s seven-year quest to tap the vast oil reserves of the Arctic and emboldened critics who say it can’t be done safely.

The drill ship Kulluk broke free of a tow boat in a storm Dec. 31 and remained upright though stranded last night on the coast of Sitkalidak Island, about 60 miles (97 kilometers) southwest of the town of Kodiak. The crew was evacuated and there were no signs the vessel was leaking diesel or drilling chemicals it carried, according to the U.S. Coast Guard. read more

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Why Shell Should Just Quit Its Alaska Drilling Fiasco

Christopher Helman, Forbes Staff: I’m based in Houston, Texas. Energy capital of the world.

Royal Dutch Shell is taking flack from all directions today as a team of salvage experts try to figure out how to free the $290 million Kulluk floating drilling rig that ran aground on the coast of Alaska Monday. The crew of the Kulluk has been rescued, and thanks to a 3-inch steel hull none of the diesel fuel onboard has spilled. But this latest fiasco in a long line of mishaps further underscores the risks of exploring for oil in the Arctic Chukchi and Beaufort seas.

Shell has sunk more than $5 billion into its Alaskan venture since acquiring leases for $2 billion four years ago, and has precious little to show for it. In 2010, when Shell thought it was ready to go, it was stopped by the federal offshore drilling moratorium in the wake of BP‘s disaster. Then there were years of delays as Shell made improvements to the Kulluk rig to meet draconian EPA regulations on diesel emissions. Then in 2012 Shell faced permitting delays on its Arctic Challenger barge, which is to meant to help capture oil in the event of a Deepwater Horizon-style blowout. Worse, the Challenger was damaged during testing in Washington state, requiring weeks of repairs. In July the anchors of the Kulluk’s sister ship, the Noble Discoverer, came loose and dragged across the seafloor. In the short drilling season between July and October, Shell managed only to begin drilling two wells, in the Berger and Sivulliq prospects, before having to pull up and clear out before ice set in. It only got that little bit of work after the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management approved Shell’s request that it be allowed to drill a little later into the season than is generally thought wise. read more

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Shell Statement – Kulluk Debacle

Shell Statement – Kulluk Response

01/02/2013

ANCHORAGE, Alaska, January 2, 2013 – An assessment team safely boarded Shell’s Kulluk drillship to evaluate its condition after it ran aground in heavy seas in Alaska on December 31. The team spent several hours onboard and was able to confirm earlier indications from multiple flyovers by the US Coast Guard that the Kulluk remains firmly aground and is stable, based on the inspections performed to date. The team also confirmed there are no signs of environmental impact, and there has been no leakage of the low-sulphur diesel fuel or hydraulic fluid stored in strong tanks onboard the vessel. read more

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Abandoned Shell drilling ship life boats washed ashore

A Coast Guard Captain spotted four life boats, described as debris, which had drifted ashore from the ill-fated Shell drilling ship, the Kulluk, abandoned, battered and aground in an environmentally important area. Shell lawyers must be busy assessing the implications from the ship wreck, including salvage and insurance issues. According to a Reuters report, the Kulluk “dragged two vessels trying to control it more than 10 miles toward a wave-battered rocky shore before the crews cut it loose to save themselves.” The stricken 30 year old ship, was owned by Royal Dutch/Shell and operated by Noble Corp. It should have been sent to the breakers yard long ago or perhaps offloaded to BG Group, who have a liking for Shell relics.
read more

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Critics say grounding of Shell drill ship shows company not ready for Arctic offshore drilling

By Associated Press, Updated: Thursday, January 3, 6:59 AM

ANCHORAGE, Alaska — The grounding of a petroleum drilling ship on a remote Alaska island has refueled the debate over oil exploration in the U.S. Arctic Ocean, where critics for years have said the conditions are too harsh and the stakes too high to allow dangerous industrial development.The drilling sites are 1,000 miles from Coast Guard resources, and environmentalists argue offshore drilling in the Arctic’s fragile ecosystem is too risky. So when a Royal Dutch Shell PLC ship went aground on New Year’s Eve on an uninhabited island in the Gulf of Alaska, they pounced — saying the incident foreshadowed what will happen north of the Bering Strait if drilling is allowed.

For oil giant Shell, which leads the way in drilling in the frontier waters of the U.S Arctic, a spokesman said the grounding will be a learning experience in the company’s years long effort to draw oil from beneath the ocean floor, which it maintains it can do safely.

Though no wells exist there yet, Shell has invested billions of dollars gearing up for drilling in the Beaufort and the Chukchi seas, off Alaska’s north and northwest coast.

The potential bounty is high: The U.S. Geological Survey estimates 26.6 billion barrels of recoverable oil and 130 trillion cubic feet of natural gas exist below Arctic waters.Environmentalists note the Beaufort and the Chukchi seas are some of the wildest and most remote ecosystems on the planet. They also are among the most fragile, supporting polar bears, the ice seals they feed on, walrus, endangered whales and other marine mammals that Alaska Natives depend on for their subsistence culture. read more

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Why Shell does not sue the Donovans

By John Donovan

I know that many people must be baffled why Shell does not take legal action against us bearing in mind that some articles authored by us may appear rather forthright.  The reason why we are not buried in Shell injunctions is because of meticulous research to ensure we can substantiate in court everything we publish. In other words, we have the documentary evidence to prove that what we say is true.  This thorough research will be evident in a pending article about Royal Dutch Shell CFO Simon Henry. We will put detailed information into the public domain about his involvement in the Shell reserves scandal. The third in our series of articles about the scandal mired years of Chris Finlayson at Shell is also in the pipeline. One can of worms after another. Not the ravings of disgruntled lunatics, but provable unpalatable fact.
read more

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Shell’s Arctic Ambitions on the Rocks

COMMENT POSTED ON OUR SHELL BLOG: Shell never misses an opportunity to tell the world that they have spent $4 billion on the Arctic, but if a small fraction of this amount had been spent on fit for purpose drilling units, rather than using mothballed vessels otherwise destined for the breaker’s yard, we would not have seen the Discoverer beached a few months ago, nor the Kulluk on the rocks today being pounded by heavy seas. As a shareholder, I would expect some clarity as to how $4 billion was spent on the project before a well had even been drilled – the money was evidently not spent where it was needed. read more

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The Kulluk debacle

John,

Selection of articles for your reader…

The Kulluk debacle:

What Shell’s Kulluk Oil Rig Accident Means for Arctic Drilling: Popular Mechanics- The Kulluk rig ran aground in a storm near Kodiak Island, Alaska, raising fresh questions about Shell’s plans to launch an offshore oil industry …

Rig Runs Aground in Alaska, Reviving Fears About Arctic Drilling: New York Times-WASHINGTON — One of Shell Oil’s two Arctic drilling rigs is beached on an island in the Gulf of Alaska, threatening environmental damage … read more

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Waves crash on grounded Shell drilling ship in Alaska

A Royal Dutch Shell drilling ship, the Kulluk, ran aground at remote Sitkalidak Island in Alaska. The next day, a U.S. Coast Guard MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter crew flew over the conical drilling rig. The weather conditions were 40-mph winds with 20-foot seas. This footage was shot by Coast Guard Petty Officer 1st Class Sara Francis.

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The Kulluk and Shell’s Arctic reputation both need salvaging

Latest news: the Kulluk is aground, abandoned, battered by high winds and rough seas, while awaiting a salvage crew – if there is anything left to salvage by the time they can safely get aboard. Looks likely that Shell’s plans for Arctic drilling in 2013 will have to be scuppered. Shell’s reputation for competence, after an endless series of mishaps and blunders in its ill-equipped, ill-fated Arctic folly, is in as dire straights as the Kulluk. Didn’t anyone learn anything from Shell’s “Touch Fuck All” corner-cutting approach to offshore safety, which cost the lives of offshore workers?

A view of the Kulluk aground southeast of Sitkalidak Island. The grounding was only the latest of the problems Shell has run into in seeking to drill north of Alaska. Photo Credit: Petty Officer 3rd Class Jonathan Klingenberg/U.S. Coast Guard

By John Donovan

Latest news: the Kulluk is aground, abandoned, battered by high winds and rough seas, while awaiting a salvage crew – if there is anything left to salvage by the time they can safely get aboard. Looks likely that Shell’s plans for Arctic drilling in 2013 will have to be scuppered.

As is correctly pointed out in an articled published in The New York Times newspaper this morning:

“If the Kulluk, which Shell upgraded in recent years at a cost of nearly $300 million, is wrecked or substantially damaged, it will be hard for the company to find a replacement and receive the numerous government permits needed to resume drilling in July, as planned. Under Department of Interior rules governing Arctic drilling, the company must have two rigs on site at all times to provide for a backup vessel to drill a relief well in case of a blowout, an uncontrolled escape of oil or gas.” read more

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Breakaway Oil Rig, Filled With Fuel, Runs Aground

By Published: January 1, 2013

An enormous Shell Oil offshore drilling rig ran aground on an island in the Gulf of Alaska on Monday night after it broke free from tow ships in rough seas, officials said.

The rig, the Kulluk, which was used for test drilling in the Arctic last summer, is carrying about 139,000 gallons of diesel fuel and 12,000 gallons of lubricating oil and hydraulic fluid, the officials said.

A Coast Guard helicopter flew over the rig after the grounding at 8:48 p.m. and “detected no visible sheen,” said Darci Sinclair, a spokeswoman for a unified command of officials from Shell, Alaskan state agencies and other groups that has been directing the response since the troubles with the rig began last Thursday. read more

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Failures that led to the Kulluk’s demise

As Coast Guard responders were scrambling to the scene on New Year’s Eve, officials told reporters an investigation will be launched into the failures that led to the Kulluk’s demise. Seas are expected to be up to 33 feet by Tuesday, with the potential for 40-foot waves as a large storm system delivers moisture from as far south as California. Satellite imagery shows the bulk of the storm headed right for Kodiak.

Tony Hopfinger, Suzanna Caldwell | Jan 01, 2013

A drilling rig operated by Royal Dutch Shell that had been adrift off and on in rough seas since Thursday ran aground near Kodiak Island in Alaska on Monday night, raising concerns about a possible fuel spill.

The Kulluk — a $290 million offshore oil rig operated as part of Shell’s Arctic drilling efforts in summer — washed up shortly before 9 p.m. at Ocean Bay on Sitkalidak Island, located close to Kodiak Island’s southeast shores. read more

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Shell Rig Runs Aground

There is reportedly up to 150,000 gallons of ultra-low sulphur diesel on board the Kulluk and roughly 12,000 gallons of combined lube oil and hydraulic fluid. The condition of the vessel has not yet been confirmed and overflights are scheduled pending weather conditions. Unified Command, using a US Coast Guard aircraft, plans to conduct a survey to assess the situation at first light. A response team will be deployed when it is safe to do so. 

By Dan Carpenter & Mike Ross Channel 2 News 6:46 p.m. AKST, December 31, 2012 ANCHORAGE, Alaska—

UPDATE: The Unified Command handling the Kulluk situation released this statement Monday night. Check KTUU.com and the Channel 2 Morning Edition for the latest on this developing story.

ANCHORAGE, AK – The Unified Command reports that Kulluk grounded at approximately 9:00 p.m. AK time on the southeast side of Sitkalidak Island. The crew of the tug Alert was ordered to separate from the Kulluk at 8:15 pm to maintain the safety of the nine crewmembers aboard the vessel.

“The extreme weather conditions and high seas continue to be a challenge. We have more than 250 people actively involved in the response efforts,” said Susan Childs, Incident Commander, Shell. “Our priority right now is maintaining the safety of our response personnel and evaluating next steps.” read more

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SHELL’S SHIPWRECKED AMBITIONS IN THE GULF OF ALASKA

By John Donovan 

The following are extracts from a warning email we sent to every UK MP in April 2012. We rung the alarm bells very loudly. As I said just days ago, Shell’s jinxed Monty Python Arctic Follies, plagued by misfortune and mismanagement, continues… with news today that the drilling ship Kulluk has run aground on Sitkalidak Island, in the Gulf of Alaska. Thankfully there are no reported fatalities this time.

EXTRACTS

TRUSTING SHELL TO DRILL IN THE ARCTIC OCEAN

ROYAL DUTCH SHELL SENIOR MANAGEMENT HAS HAD ADVANCE SIGHT OF THIS EMAIL AND THEREFORE THE OPPORTUNITY TO SEEK AN INJUNCTION IF ANYTHING STATED IS UNTRUE read more

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Shell drill ship runs aground on Alaskan island

Associated Press –  Shell Alaska says a drifting drill ship that broke loose from tow vessels during a severe storm has run aground on the southeast side of Sitkalidak Island.

Shell’s unified command center says the Kulluk grounded around 9 p.m. Monday. It says the crew of a tug boat had been ordered to separate from it earlier in the night out of safety of its crew members.

The Kulluk is one of two Shell drill ships that operated in U.S. Arctic waters in 2012. It had been under tow by a tug and a 360-foot anchor handler before it broke loose earlier Monday night. read more

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Shell drilling rig grounds off Kodiak Island after towlines fail for 5th time

Royal Dutch Shell’s Kulluk drilling rig, re-secured to two ships with towlines early Monday, grounded around 9 p.m. in rocky water off the southern coast of Kodiak Island during a pounding Gulf of Alaska winter storm, according to the U.S. Coast Guard. The Coast Guard evacuated the Kulluk’s 18-person crew on Saturday for their own safety…

By LISA DEMER — [email protected]

Royal Dutch Shell’s Kulluk drilling rig, re-secured to two ships with towlines early Monday, grounded around 9 p.m. in rocky water off the southern coast of Kodiak Island during a pounding Gulf of Alaska winter storm, according to the U.S. Coast Guard.

A command team that includes Shell briefed reporters on the disaster with the Kulluk late Monday night.

It broke loose from a Shell-contracted ship, the Aiviq, around 4:40 p.m. Monday Then around 8:15 p.m., the second tow ship, the borrowed Alert, was directed to lose its towline to avoid danger to the nine crew members aboard, according to the command team managing the crisis, which includes Shell, the Coast Guard, the state of Alaska, and contractors. read more

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