A team of six salvage experts boarded Shell's grounded drilling unit Kulluk on 2 January to conduct a structural assessment to be used to finalise salvage plans, currently being developed by the Kulluk Tow Incident Unified Command.
The 28,000 t vessel grounded after towing lines broke and quickly ran aground in a storm at the coast of an island some 400 km south of Anchorage, Alaska. The ship carries 585,000 l fuel on board, but so far none of it seems to have leaked into the sea.
Three Hour Assessment
The six-member team was lowered to the Kulluk by a U.S. Coast Guard helicopter. A helicopter safely hoisted the team from the drilling unit three hours later. The Coast Guard helicopter and crew also delivered a state-owned emergency towing system to the Kulluk, which will be used during recovery operations.
Severe Weather
Efforts to place a team on-board the rig to conduct the assessment were put on hold due to severe weather conditions over the past several days. Calmer conditions this morning created a window that enabled the assessment to take place.
Smit Salvage to Conduct Recovery Operation
Smit Salvage is heading up recovery operations. Smit has a lot of experience with these kinds of projects and was involved in the Selendang Ayu salvage that took place off the coast of Western Unalaska in 2004. It also assisted in the Costa Concordia salvage off the coast of Italy in 2012.
The information gained from the on-site assessment will be invaluable in helping to evaluate the available options for freeing the rig from its grounded position. Following the completion of their mission, the assessment team was returned to Coast Guard Air Station/Kodiak.
Visit www.kullukresponse.com for more information including photos and video.
Picture: A Coast Guard MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter crew from Air Station Kodiak conducts the 13th hoist of 18 crewmen from the mobile drilling unit Kulluk 80 miles southwest of Kodiak City, Alaska, Saturday, Dec. 29, 2012. The tug Aiviq suffered problems towing the Kulluk Thursday prompting the Coast Guard to deploy cutters and aircraft to while Royal Dutch Shell dispatched additional tugs. U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 1st Class Sara Francis (by US Coast Guard)
