Kulluk remains stable in Kiliuda Bay

Naval architects have confirmed that damage sustained by the Kulluk, Shell’s floating drilling platform, following the grounding of the vessel on Dec. 31, “poses no threat to the stability or integrity of the Kulluk while anchored in Kiliuda Bay,” the unified command for the Kulluk grounding incident announced in a Jan. 30 news release.

The Kulluk was towed to a safe anchorage in Kiliuda Bay on Jan. 7 after being refloated.

The unified command has yet to decide on when and how to relocate the Kulluk for permanent repairs and is waiting for further analysis of data gathered from inspections of the vessel and for relocation recommendations from the U.S. Coast Guard and Det Norske Veritas, the engineering firm commissioned to assess the condition of the vessel.

Meantime, the response team has made some preparations for the eventual towing of the Kulluk from its present anchorage. The team has obtained some necessary tow equipment and has secured openings such as windows and hatches on the vessel’s main deck — some of this work has involved the installation of temporary steel structures to make the vessel water- and weather-tight, the unified command said.

The Native village corporation for Old Harbor, the village close to the grounding site, is collaborating with the unified command to develop plans to clean up lifeboat debris that ended up on the shore after the grounding.

—Alan Bailey