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Shell’s latest Arctic Saga

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IT COULD HAVE BEEN WORSE

John,

Here are some articles about Shell’s latest saga in the Arctic:

Coast Guard evacuates crew of troubled oil drilling barge: Los Angeles Times – VANCOUVER, B.C. — U.S. Coast Guard helicopters were evacuating the crew of a troubled oil drilling barge off the coast of southern Alaska Saturday afternoon after engine troubles on its tow vessel had left the barge drifting toward landfall south of Kodiak Island. The move followed a tense night, when … On Saturday afternoon, engineers were able to restart the last of the four engines on the Aiviq towing vessel and also attach a line from a second ship brought in by Shell Alaska, the Nanuq. The armada of three was …

Power problem hits vessel towing Shell drill ship: Businessweek – A relief tug plowed through 20-foot waves and winds of 40 mph Friday afternoon to reach the Kulluk, one of two drill ships Shell operated this year in the short Arctic Ocean open water season, and the vessel that had been towing it, the 360-foot Aiviq. No decision had been made regarding where the vessels … The tug Guardsman reached the vessels at 2 p.m. The Nanuq, Shell’s principal oil spill response vessel, was expected to arrive early Saturday afternoon. The Coast Guard Cutter Hickory left Homer on Friday to …

Coast Guard battles raging seas before finally evacuating drifting oil rig near … The Seattle Times (blog) – After raging seas and fierce winds settled down Saturday afternoon, the Coast Guard finally evacuated the crew of a traveling Shell Alaska oil rig that had started drifting near Kodiak, Alaska. For the … It got tangled in one of the ship’s propellers. The cutter was …

Coast Guard helps disabled ship, barge: UPI.com – 30 (UPI) — The U.S. Coast Guard said its crews battled rough seas off Alaska Saturday to help a disabled vessel and the oil drilling barge it was towing. The Coast Guard said in a release on its website that its crews were … Another Shell vessel, the Guardsman, arrived Friday afternoon and joined with the Aiviq to tow the Kulluk, but it wasn’t power enough to overcome the vessels’ drift either and by 5:30 a.m. Saturday its towline had failed as well. Topics: Alex Haley, Rear Adm. © 2012 United Press International, Inc.

Coast Guard evacuates crew from Shell drill vessel: Anchorage Daily News – The Aiviq and Nanuq — another ship under contract to Shell that arrived early Saturday — were towing the Kulluk southeast to avoid worsening weather Saturday night and the worst-case scenario that it would again drift toward land, Smith said. It’s just the latest change of plans in a situation complicated by what Smith described … The Nanuq, Shell’s principal oil spill response vessel, was expected to reach the drill ship within hours. The plan was for Nanuq crews to attach a tow line to the Kulluk and take control as …

Drill ship, crew moving again in Gulf of Alaska: GoErie.com – Drill ship, crew moving again in Gulf of Alaska. Associated Press. A Shell drill ship in the Gulf of Alaska has stopped drifting toward the Trinity Islands and company officials hope it will be moving toward safe harbor later on Saturday. Repair crews have restarted two of the four … The Nanuq, Shell’s principal oil spill response vessel, was expected to reach the drill ship within hours. The plan was for Nanuq crews to attach a tow line to the Kulluk and take control as the 360-foot Aiviq continues its repairs.

Shell & Coast Guard working to rescue stranded drilling rig: FuelFix (blog) – Shell spokesman Curtis Smith said crew were able to use power generators on the Aiviq to keep it and the tethered Kulluk from drifting significantly. The Coast Guard has been coordinating a response with Shell Oil Co., and Edison …

Coast Guard cutter hits trouble trying to aid Shell rig off Alaska: Los Angeles Times – Dec 28, 2012: There were no immediate threats to crew or equipment, but Shell Alaska was rushing additional aid vessels to the scene as the Kulluk, which drilled the beginnings of an exploratory oil well in the Beaufort Sea over the summer, sat without ability to move forward in 20-foot seas about 50 miles … Shell Alaska officials said emergency power generators were enabling the tug vessel, the Aiviq, to avoid significant drift, even with the 266-foot Kulluk drilling barge, which does not have its own propulsion engines, in tow.

Shell drill ship and tow vessel maintain position with tug’s help: Anchorage Daily News – Dec 28, 2012: Amid gusting wind and rough seas, a vessel towing a Shell Oil drill ship lost its engines in the Gulf of Alaska south of Kodiak on Friday, rendering both of the massive boats immobile and at risk of drifting out of control. By Friday afternoon, a tugboat had arrived …
Drill ship, crew remain stalled on Gulf of Alaska: Equities.com – Dec 29, 2012: ANCHORAGE, Alaska — Rough weather prevented the Coast Guard from evacuating an 18-member crew of a stalled Shell drill ship in the Gulf of Alaska and another vessel is on the way to prevent the ship from drifting into the Trinity Islands. The Coast Guard says helicopter crews tried Friday night and … Two vessels under contract to Shell left Seward when the trouble began _ the tug Guardsman and The Nanuq, Shell’s principal oil spill response vessel. The Kulluk is one of two drill ships Shell operated this year in …

Coast Guard assisting drilling rig stranded near Alaska: FuelFix (blog) – Dec 28, 2012: The Coast Guard is assisting Shell as the oil company tries to rescue a stranded offshore drilling rig and the tugboat that was heaving it across turbulent western Alaska waters. Problems … Once the line was reconnected, the Aiviq experienced “multiple engine failures,” perhaps due to water in the ship’s fuel. Shell Alaska spokesman Curtis Smith said the Aiviq’s main propulsion engines experienced the loss of power, but “the use of power generators allowed the Aiviq to avoid significant drift with the Kulluk in tow.” …

Engine problems hit ship towing Shell drill ship: Fairbanks Daily News-Miner – Dec 28, 2012: “We’re using power generators on the Aiviq to avoid significant drift to both vessels,” Smith said. Two vessels under … A second vessel, the Nanuq, Shell’s principal oil spill response vessel, was expected to arrive late Friday or early Saturday.

Coast Guard cutter comes to aid of troubled Shell ship, drilling rig: Alaska Dispatch – Dec 28, 2012: Even with 2012 quickly drawing to a close, oil company Royal Dutch Shell is continuing to experience the headaches of unexpected mishaps from its Arctic drilling fleet. On Friday, the U.S. Coast Guard announced it had stationed its cutter Alex Haley about 50 …

These boys inspire such confidence.

Regards

This website and sisters royaldutchshellgroup.com, shellnazihistory.com, royaldutchshell.website, johndonovan.website, and shellnews.net, are owned by John Donovan. There is also a Wikipedia segment.

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