Greenpeace Statement on Shell's Arctic Drill Rig Kulluk
Greenpeace
January 2, 2013
http://www.commondreams.org/newswire/2013/01/02
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http://www.commondreams.org/headline/2013/01/02
Published on Wednesday, January 2, 2013 by Common Dreams
Thirty Foot Waves, Arctic Storm Batter Shell's Grounded Oil Rig
'Shell stands to profit from drilling in the Arctic Ocean, yet we all
bear the risks.'
- Jon Queally, staff writer
Thirty-foot seas and an arctic storm are preventing rescue or salvage
of a Royal Dutch Shell oil drilling rig that ran aground in Alaska on
New Year's Eve.
The drilling rig, named the Kulluk, has not yet broken apart, but
sits precariously just off Sitkalidak Island in the southeast part of
the state. Reports indicate that the ship is intact, but worries are
heightened that chances of spilling the vessel's 150,000 gallons of
diesel fuel and other toxic lubricants increase with each passing
hour.
As the Associated Press reports Wednesday:
A team of company, Coast Guard and local officials said they were
mobilizing spill response equipment and preparing a plan in the event
of a spill in the Partition Cove and Ocean Bay areas of the island.
The area is home to at least two endangered species, as well as
harbor seals, salmon, and sea lions.
The storm eased Tuesday, with gusts up to 35 mph and waves up to 30
feet high, and similar conditions were expected Wednesday. Officials
were hoping to get marine experts onboard to take photos and videos,
and then come up with a more complete salvage plan once weather
permits.
"This grounding should serve as the tipping point to show our
government that we are not ready to drill in the Arctic Ocean," Susan
Murray, Oceana deputy vice president, said in a statement issued
Tuesday.
Greenpeace campaigner Ben Ayliffe agreed. "The grounding of Shell's
Arctic rig, which contains tens of thousands of gallons of fuel oil,
is yet another example of how utterly incapable this company is of
operating safely in one of the planet's most remote and extreme
environments," he said.
"Shell has lurched from one Arctic disaster to the next, displaying
staggering ineptitude every step of the way. Were the pristine
environment of the frozen north not at risk of an oil spill it would
be almost comical. Instead it's tragic. We're moving closer to a
major catastrophe in the Arctic and the US government appears
unwilling to provide either the needed oversight or emergency backup
the company's incompetence requires."
Murrary continued by saying, "Shell stands to profit from drilling in
the Arctic Ocean, yet we all bear the risks. We hope that this
accident will not become a major environmental disaster. The area in
which the Kulluk grounded is critical habitat for endangered Steller
sea lions and threatened sea otters; and there are important
fisheries in the area that help provide livelihoods for Alaskans and
support our economy."
"Rather than opening up the high north to oil firms we need to keep
this fragile place off-limits to reckless industrialization,"
concluded Ayliffe. "Greenpeace and the millions of people who have
joined us to save the Arctic will be keeping a very close eye on
developments in Kodiak."
In a statement released Tuesday, US Congressman Ed Markey (D-MA), the
minority chair of the House Natural Resources Committee, echoed
sentiments of environmentalists and Arctic drilling critics by
saying: "Oil companies keep saying they can conquer the Arctic, but
the Arctic keeps disagreeing with the oil companies."
"Drilling expansion could prove disastrous for this sensitive
environment," he said.
The Alaska Dispatch posits the question: Will Shell's grounded
drilling ship impact US energy policy in Arctic? And reports:
Shell has invested more than $4.5 billion since the mid-2000s in a
quest to reignite a controversial Arctic drilling program that it
started in the 1980s. But from lawsuits to mishaps like the grounding
of its Kulluk drilling ship this week, the Netherlands-based oil
giant has seemingly faced one problem -- one more delay -- after
another.
The $290-million Kulluk and its tug weren't operating above the
Arctic Circle when the problems started late last week. And the Coast
Guard's Alaska headquarters at Kodiak are located relatively nearby
the grounded Kulluk, making response efforts easier than in the
Arctic, where the agency has no base.
What would happen if similar troubles ever occur in the much more
remote Arctic Ocean? No one involved with the recovery would
speculate Tuesday.
"We're learning that oceans, while beautiful, are dangerous and
unforgiving," Michael LeVine, senior Pacific counsel for the
environmental group Oceana, told the New York Times. "Shell has
demonstrated again and again that it's not prepared to operate in
Alaskan waters.
Reporting on the pattern of trouble encountered by Shell's drilling
excursions in the last year, the Times adds:
The grounding was the latest in a series of mishaps to befall Shell's
ambitious plans to prospect for oil in the Beaufort and Chukchi Seas
off the North Slope of Alaska.
Shell halted drilling for oil in September after equipment failures,
unexpected ice floes, operational missteps and regulatory delays
forced the company to scale back its plans.
Its drilling rigs completed two shallow pilot holes and left the
Arctic in late fall to return to Seattle for maintenance work but
have encountered problems in transit.
If the Kulluk, which Shell upgraded in recent years at a cost of
nearly $300 million, is wrecked or substantially damaged, it will be
hard for the company to find a replacement and receive the numerous
government permits needed to resume drilling in July, as planned.
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