Shell drillship backfires at Dutch Harbor

The port of Dutch Harbor in the Aleutian Islands seems to have put something of a jinx on the Noble Discoverer, the drillship that Shell is using for exploratory drilling in Alaska’s Chukchi Sea. Having dragged its anchor when moored at the port in July on its way to the Chukchi, the vessel caused further excitement upon its return from the Arctic, when a loud bang caught the attention of people at the port. Apparently an engine on the Discover had backfired.

“Upon engine start up at Dutch harbor, Alaska, the Noble Discoverer last Friday morning experienced a loud engine backfire followed by a small, residual fire that was quickly extinguished by the crew,” Shell spokesman Curtis Smith told Petroleum News in a Nov. 19 email.

The Discoverer was never in any danger, there were no injuries and Shell did not have to call the fire department or request any other assistance, Smith said.

The vessel is heading for Seward on the Kenai Peninsula, from where it will probably move to a West Coast shipyard for routine maintenance, Shell has said.

—Alan Bailey