By Andrew Critchlow, Commodities Editor for publication in The SundayTelegraph 29 Mar 2015 under the headline:
Arctic braced for oil rush as Shell eyes return to Alaska
When the wreck of Royal Dutch Shell’s Kulluk drilling rig washed up on the coast of Alaska in 2012 following a storm at sea, many environmental campaigners hoped that the incident would draw a line under big oil’s quest to explore in the Arctic, the last remaining great frontier for fossil fuel reserves.
In rough seas, with waves as high as 18 feet and winds gusting at around 50 miles per hour, the drilling rig broke free from its towing rope and was cast adrift for four days in the northern Gulf of Alaska before washing ashore. It was carrying 560,000 litres of diesel fuel and drilling lubricant along with 18 crew.