Decisions on Kulluk still to be made

The Kulluk, Shell’s floating drilling platform, remains anchored in Kiliuda Bay on the southeast side of Kodiak Island while an analysis of the condition of the vessel continues. The unified command for the response to the grounding of the vessel announced Jan. 10 that inspections of the vessel by two submersible remote operated vehicles had been completed, and that data from the inspections were being analyzed.

“The data gathering is now complete and the analysis of that data is still under way,” Shell spokesman Curtis Smith told Petroleum News in a Jan. 16 email. “Ultimately, that analysis will dictate the immediate and future role the Kulluk will play in our ongoing exploration program.”

The Kulluk ran aground on the shore of Sitkalidak Island in a severe storm on the evening of Dec. 31, was refloated on the evening of Jan. 6 and was towed to its current anchorage in Kiliuda Bay on Jan. 7.

The unified command said that one remote operated vehicle inspected the Kulluk’s anchor and chain, at the Kiliuda Bay anchorage, finding that the anchor was firmly embedded in the seafloor, with the chain buried near the anchor. The second vehicle assessed the condition of the Kulluk’s hull.

Back at Sitkalidak Island, a team has been assessing the situation regarding four survival boats and one rescue boat that had been dislodged from the Kulluk during the grounding. There has been no observed leak of fuel from the boats.

The unified command has worked with the Kodiak Crab Alliance Cooperative to develop strategies to minimize any impacts on the tanner crab fishing season — the Kulluk will remain anchored in inner Kiliuda Bay until the end of that fishing season and a marine coordinator will coordinate the movement of response vessels. A claims process for crab fishermen has been established.

—Alan Bailey