Shell’s drive to resume Arctic drilling has hit another hurdle, with the discovery of a hole in the hull of an ice-management vessel meant to safeguard its operations in the Chukchi Sea.
The MSV Fennica was on its way from Dutch Harbour, Alaska to the Chukchi Sea on Friday when a ballast tank leak was discovered by crew members and a harbour pilot.
It is not yet clear what caused the hole, which is about 39 inches long and less than a half an inch wide, in the side of the Fennica’s hull.
The 22-year-old icebreaker has since returned to port and is being examined by marine experts, but it is uncertain how quickly the damage can be repaired and whether it will delay Shell’s hopes to begin drilling an oil well in the Chukchi Sea later this month.
Shell spokesman Curtis Smith said authorities were promptly notified of the ballast leak and hull breach.
Neither the vessel and its crew were in danger and the Fennica’s ballast pumps continued to operate normally, he added.
The Fennica is just one of the 29 vessels in Shell’s Arctic fleet, which includes another icebreaker, the MSV Nordica, and at least two other anchor handlers tasked with helping to keep ice away from the company’s drilling site.
Shell has already being forced to scale back its Arctic plans after a ruling that wildlife protection regulations do not allow simultaneous drilling operations within 15 miles.
The US government’s handling of the issue is under fire from environmentalists who say the 15-mile separation requirement compels the interior department to rescind its earlier approval of Shell’s broad Chukchi Sea exploration plan and hold off on issuing any drilling permits.