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I have now received word from two anonymous sources on Kodiak Island that it appears damage assessment of the Shell Oil drill rig Kulluk is far worse than has been thus far disclosed by the Unified Command:
Severe hull damage, making it unsafe to tow it to Puget Sound.
Severe power plant damage from saltwater contamination
Severe damage to wiring, ventilation and other internal control systems
Supposedly, a very large, oceangoing dry dock will be underway soon to Kodiak from Asia, and the rig will then be brought to Asia, most likely Korea, where it has been worked on before.
At present, the rig is being attended in Kiliuda Bay, an the southern shore of Kodiak Island by the tugs Pt. Oliktok, Warrrior, Lauren Foss, Ocean Wave and Corbin Foss. Also on the scene is the anchor-handling vessel Aiviq, oil service vessel Nanuq, and the recently arrived oil service vessel, Sisuaq. Several other smaller vessels are also present. The Kulluk is now at anchor in the bay.
I called the 17th U.S. Coast Guard District headquarters this morning for possible confirmation. I was told they have no public information, and referred to Shell Alaska’s press representative, Jennifer Taylor. She did not answer my call, and there was no message service. The Unified Command HQ has ceased to list a contact phone. I contacted Shell’s U.S. media relations for the Kulluk incident, and was able to leave a message. I also left a message with the State of Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation Division of Oil Spill Prevention and Response.
The latest information published by the Unified Command on the vessel’s condition was posted back on January 18th, nine days ago. In the UC release, it was stated in part:
• Multiple entities are involved in the review of data, including: the U.S. Coast Guard, Shell, Smit Salvage and Det Norske Veritas. These reports involve precise calculations; it is important to ensure the accuracy of any reports in order to develop the next steps for the Kulluk. At this time there is no firm date for completion of the damage assessment report.
• Once the damage report is completed, the Kulluk and any plans to move the vessel will be evaluated before it is moved to its next location.
• Water did enter some spaces of the vessel through damaged hatches. However, the water has been captured and is being safely stored in a compartment.
• The damage discovered on the Kulluk is consistent with what is expected from a vessel of this type being on hard ground. The fuel tanks are intact.
• Points of entry for water into the Kulluk are being sealed (i.e., windows and hatches). Additionally, tow brackets are being added for preparation for the next move.
Alaska blogger, Steve Aufrecht was just one of many who has been frustrated by the extended news blackout at Unified Command. He has written several posts on the incident and is increasingly frustrated by his inability to find out anything of substance:
But they aren’t just mum about damage extent. They are mum about everything. At least at the news briefings there was a chance to ask questions to real people. But the last one, to my knowledge, was January 5.
Aufrecht is a retired Professor Emeritus of Public Policy at the University of Alaska Anchorage, and the fact that he is this upset is significant.
Alaska’s leading maritime oil spill expert, retired University of Alaska Professor, Richard Steiner feels that if my Kodiak information on Shell’s Asia renovation and repair plans turns out to be accurate, Shell’s 2013 Alaska drilling season, perhaps even 2014′s, are non-starters.
Thursday, I discovered that Sen. Mark Begich’s proposed hearing (he’s chair of the Senate Subcommittee on Oceans, Atmosphere, Fisheries and Coast Guard) on the Kulluk and Shell’s readiness to drill off our shores will be held sometime in March. I asked his office the following questions:
1. When will the hearing or hearings take place?
2. Where will they be?
3. Will witnesses be sworn in?
4. Do you plan on subpoenaing any documents, such as the Aiviq log book, correspondence and phone records between Shell and the Aiviq crew prior to departure from Dutch Harbor, or other important records?
5. Will the entire subcommittee participate?
Friday, in Washington DC, a small number of pro-environment organizations held a congressional briefing on Shell’s 2012 string of screwups and near-disasters:
Environmentalists from Alaska are hoping to persuade Congressional staffers Shell Oil should not continue its drilling operation in the Arctic this summer.
The groups held a Congressional briefing on Friday.
Congressional briefings are free of the formalities and TV cameras of Congressional hearings. And they lack the members of Congress themselves.
And many in this town think that’s a good thing, because it’s the staffers who attend the briefings. And it’s the staffers who have the policy expertise. The briefing was organized by the office of California Democrat Barbara Boxer – she chairs the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee.
I suppose one aspect of Shell’s attempting to hide this as long as they can may be the impact such adverse news will have on the value of their stock share price.
I’ve seen a lot of poorly managed operations in Alaska over the years, but this clusterfuck (a term first used by my informant at the Arctic Challenger containment dome testing fiasco, several clusterfucks ago) clearly sets a new standard of haplessness, negligence, lies and coverups.
Photo by US Coast Guard, public domain
23 Comments
I’m trying to get the name of the floating, oceangoing drydock, so we can track it. There aren’t that many of them.
Still no word from Shell. Their national flack message said “we check this line frequently, and respond as soon as possible.” I told their national flack in my message that unless I heard back, I would view the non-response as a confirmation of my Kodiak information.
thanks very much.
Thank you, ET, for this post and all the others you’ve been providing us these many moons. Out of curiosity, how many oceangoing drydocks capable of handling the Kuluk would you estimate that there are? And, where are most of them built?
Recommended.
Now I shall have to go and read about the leakage at the Deepwater Horizon blowout site …
Much appreciation.
DW
Trying to find out how many, where, their current commitments.
One needs to realize that the Kulluk displaces about the same as the WWII aircraft carrier Enterprise, hero of the Battle of Midway – around 28,000 tons. Unlike the Enterprise, which was 770 feet long and 110 feet wide, the Kulluk is about 300 feet in diameter at the deck level.
There are very, very few floating dry docks wide enough to take this gigantic, ungainly, upside-down upside-down-cake platter.
Meanwhile, no word back from Shell.
I wonder, does the word coverup apply here? So a question on the issue of a floating drydock. Given the strength and intensities of N. Pac/Aleutian low pressure systems as well as the speed at which the dock could move (5 knots? is it self propelled or reliant on tugs?), how on earth do they think they can move the rig without a major risk of further damage? What if they encountered 10 m or greater waves and hurricane force winds (not uncommon there)? Could the floating drydock survive, or is there a risk that it could capsize or get damage? All in all, it appears to me if Shell does use the floating drydock option, its going to be very risky. And rememnber, all this because they wanted to save a few $million in taxes. Sheesh. Now what is the tow and repair going to cost? How much has it cost already? If I was a Shell shareholder, I’d be livid. The footnotes in Shell’s annual report might make some interesting reading.
The average seas states in the North Pacific remain fairly robust and unpredictable until mid-April or later, so if this is what is coming down, the Kulluk will probably remain where it is for the next two months or so.
Thanks ET away good to know the govt./corp. still lieing to the people to protect us I’m sure;)
Any update on the tax money?
No, but they don’t have to file for a while yet.
The other drilling rig from the 2012 season, Noble Discoverer, is still berthed in Seward, as it has been since November. When the USCG wanted to question the crew about problems with the vessel’s condition, Shell attorneys showed up, and the crew clammed up. The USCG has given the vessel clearance to leave, but I’ve heard they’re having a hard time mustering a crew. Maybe they need to start checking the bars at 3:00 am.
Citizen! Your need to know the details of this Corporate Confidential operation offends our sense of privacy. As a Corporate Person, our right to privacy regarding our Operations overrides your perceived need to know.
Please stop inquiring; your repeated requests will be reported to our Ally and Subsidiary, The State.
*snickering*
Oh, Teddy.
And, many thanks to ET/PM. Sir!
It is Proprietary.
So – butt out.
Oh, I’ll be good. I won’t ask any questions, or snort or giggle.
I’ll do my best. But, it hasn’t worked so far. 60 + years of practice.
Yes, methinks it will take at least 2-3 months to get the drydock in place (maybe longer – depending on other contracts, it might even be as long as 2 years, just have no idea what kind of demand there is for these large floating drydocks). By then the weather will have subsided (somewhat). So they might pull it off this summer. This raises the interesting question though of how much drilling they will do this summer. The Kulluk will be out of the picture, but do they have other drilling capabilities. If not, could be no drilling in the Arctic by Shell this year.
One thing I wonder though, is the rig in a condition such that it could be towed to Korea? Would Shell do a patch job in AK to make it seaworthy for a tow to Korea?
The only other Arctic capable rig they have is the Noble Discoverer, which is berthed in Seward, and about which many questions are pending. The only other Arctic capable rigs known to be seaworthy seem to all be under current contract by major players globally, and working next season.
No answers to the exact condition of Kulluk’s hull. Given the tonnage of the vessel, It is hard to imagine patching the underside in a remote harbor on the south end of Kodiak Island, but that is not saying it simply cannot be done. Very unlikely, though.
You could go into business with Shell, with such finesse.
Thanks for the post ET. Appreciate you staying on this.
Why don’t they use the same “full floating” rigs in use now in the Gulf of Mexico and off the coast of Africa? Is it just the severity of the conditions? I am told by a friend in the business that these new full floaters are a technological wonder. His rig and her sister were commisioned out of Malysia by the way and that may be where the dry dock is coming from.
— rigs coming from Malaysia have the probability of coming teeming with invasive species. These rigs designed for the south are not designed for Arctic waters. Very few are.
A-yep. For starters, think of all the thousands of yards of piping –for fuel or water lines — that would need to be insulated. That alone would take months, assuming the design of the rig even allowed it in the first place.
Arctic drill rigs also have very thickened hulls – capable of withstanding being towed through ice, and resistant to ice pressures when wintered over. The Kulluk was wintered over off of Canada’s Arctic coast more than once.
In spite of the Shell negligence and hubris that led to the wrecking of the Kulluk on New Year’s Eve, the rig was very well conceived and built.
And warm-water rigs would have neither Arctic-worthy hulls nor insulated interiors.
Condensation is another design consideration.
Another design consideration: Choice of metal alloys and lubricants. The wrong alloy, particularly in moving parts exposed to extreme cold (less than -20 F) for extended periods, will fail prematurely. And, the right lubricant (oil or grease) with the right viscosity is very important. It must be rated to operate at the expected temperature range without breaking down. I speak from experience on this matter having worked with mechanical systems in extremely cold temperatures and experiencing failure that was traced back to the wrong metal alloy for the operating environment. BTW, one of the best greases for extreme cold: Aeroshell 17. Go figure. LOL
ET, how you do this in the middle of teaching music theory and conducting beats me! But, I am so very glad that you do. Rec’d.