Publication Name

Financial Times

Author(s)

Ed Crooks

The Royal Dutch Shell drilling rig that ran aground in heavy seas off the south coast of Alaska a week ago has been successfully refloated and towed into a nearby harbour for damage assessment.

The Kulluk, a roughly circular drill-ship used by Shell in the Arctic, was refloated from a beach on Sitkalidak Island and then towed by the support ship Aiviq at about 4 miles per hour to a bay on Kodiak Island, 30 miles away.

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Marilyn Heiman of the Pew Environment Group said the accident would have been even more serious off Alaska’s north coast, where conditions are more severe and Coast Guard facilities and equipment are further away.

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By Sunday, 730 people were involved in the response, including local residents.

When the Kulluk arrived in Kiliuda Bay, Coast Guard reported there was still no sign of any of the rig’s diesel fuel having leaked.

Read the full article, Shell Drilling Rig Refloated in Alaska, on the Financial Times website.