The mobile drilling unit off the coast of Kodiak Island, Alaska, after encountering severe weather while Kulluk, Shell Oil’s 266-foot-long floating drill rig, has run agroundbeing towed from Dutch Harbor, Alaska. NOAA’s Office of Response and Restoration is supporting the U.S. Coast Guard in its response to the grounding.
Two tugboats were towing the Kulluk from where it was drilling in the Beaufort Sea south to Seattle, Wash., for winter maintenance when beginning on December 28 the tugs suffered engine trouble and lost connection to the rig in heavy weather and seas approximately 25 miles south of Kodiak Island. The towlines were temporarily reestablished. However, as the towing vessels were guiding the Kulluk to a place of refuge at the west end of Sitkalidak Strait, approximately 20 miles away, stormy weather caused the main tug to lose its connection again and the rig was allowed to drift aground in heavy seas.
At this point, no leaking oil has been sighted, and the drilling rig appears intact where it grounded on rocky shoreline. The next step for the response is assessing the condition of the rig and planning to remove the oil on board. Of note is the fact that the shores of Kodiak Island, where the rig grounded, fall within critical habitat for the endangered Steller sea lion.
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