Kulluk Hull Intact, Unified Command Says (Alaska)

The Unified Command, consisting of the U.S. Coast Guard, Shell, and other partners, has announced that the Kulluk conical drilling unit remains stable.

After a thorough underwater assessment of the unit’s hull, the Unified Command has also informed that no ruptures in the hull were found.

Assessment of the Kulluk drilling vessel in Kiliuda Bay has been completed and the data collected is now being analyzed.

There are no reports of any oil or fuel release, the Unified Command added.

To remind, the Kulluk misfortunes began on December 29, 2012, when the 29-year-old rig containing an estimated 143,000 gallons of ultra-low sulfur diesel and 12,000 gallons of lubrication oil and hydraulic fluid, broke free from tugboats  in heavy seas in the Gulf of Alaska, casting the drilling unit adrift.

The drilling unit then, on December 31, ran aground on the southeast shoreline of nearby Sitkalidak Island. On January 6, Shell managed to refloat the rig and tow it to the Kiliuda Bay for damage assessment.

To read more on the Kulluk incident click here.

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Offshore Energy Today Staff, January 13, 2013