The Arctic-capable drilling rig Kulluk finally set sail from Alaska’s Dutch Harbor on August 20 to the Beaufort Sea off the north coast of Alaska where it is to carry out the drilling of test wells for Royal Dutch Shell.
Shell said the sailaway marked another step towards delivering on its 2012 exploration plans and that it will be deploying its oil spill response vessel by the end of August. Ullu is expected to arrive in the Beaufort Sea early this month.
However, no drilling can begin until Shell secures permits for individual wells.
And federal regulators say those permits won’t be issued until its oil spill containment barge is finished, inspected and certified, which hasn’t happened yet.
The move signals the energy giant’s intention to press on with its controversial exploration activities in the seas off the Alaskan coast before the short summer season ends and the ice sets in.
The company has already spent about $4.5billion on its US Arctic exploration plan and expects to be the first company in several years to explore for oil there as a key part of its quest to find new hydrocarbon reserves.