By Reuters
ANCHORAGE, Alaska -- A large drill ship belonging to oil giant Shell ran aground off Alaska on Monday night after drifting in stormy weather, company and government officials said.
The ship, the Kulluk, broke away from one of its tow lines Monday afternoon and was driven within hours to rocks just off Kodiak Island, where it grounded at about 9 p.m. Alaska time (1 a.m. Tuesday ET), officials said.
The 18-member crew had been evacuated by the Coast Guard late Saturday because of risks from the ongoing storm.
With winds reported at up to 60 mph and Gulf of Alaska seas of up to 35 feet, responders were unable to keep the ship from grounding, said Coast Guard Commander Shane Montoya, the leader of the incident command team.
"We are now entering into the salvage and possible spill-response phase of this event," Montoya told a news conference late Monday night in Anchorage.
No known spill
There is no known spill and no reports of damage yet, but the Kulluk has about 155,000 gallons of fuel on board, Montoya said.
In Arctic battle, Shell starts preliminary drilling
The grounding of the Kulluk, a conical, Arctic-class drill ship weighing nearly 28,000 gross tons, is a blow to Shell's $4.5 billion offshore program in Alaska.
Shell's plan to convert the area in to a major new oil frontier has alarmed environmentalists and many Alaska Natives but excited industry supporters.
Environmentalists and Native opponents say the drilling program threatens a fragile region that is already being battered by rapid climate change.
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The Kulluk's woes began Friday, when the Shell ship towing it south experienced a mechanical failure and lost its connection to the drill vessel.
The Kulluk was used by Shell in September and October to drill a prospect in the Beaufort Sea. It was being taken to Seattle for the off-season when the problems began Friday.
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