Offshore

Shell’s Grounded Alaskan Oil Rig Determined Stable: Set to Move to Asia

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The multi-million dollar oil drilling rig named Kulluk that ran aground offshore Alaska on New Year’s Eve has been deemed stable enough to tow out of Kiliuda Bay to Dutch Harbor. The Kulluk will be brought to a purpose-built dock from which it can be safely prepared for “dry-tow transit to Asia” for repairs.

“The completion of the damage assessment revealed that the inner hull of the Kulluk was not breached and that all fuel tanks remain intact. The outer hull did receive damage as expected with a vessel being aground during adverse weather. In addition, the Kulluk encountered water damage to its superstructure which resulted in damage to technical equipment and a breach of windows and hatches. Over the past few weeks, all damaged windows and hatches on the Kulluk’s main deck have been secured, and where necessary, temporary steel structures have been put in place to ensure that the vessel is weather tight and prepared for the tow,” according to an update issued by the Unified Command in charge of the operation. Keep reading →

Published February 14, 2013 at 3:15 PM

Exxon’s Big Plans for Offshore Drilling

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Two hundred miles southeast of Newfoundland, not far from where the Titanic sank, ExxonMobil is spending $14 billion to drill one of the biggest oil fields in the North Atlantic. Seeing Exxon develop oil fields for Canada is reviving calls for the United States to do the same off its Atlantic Coast — which has been closed for oil and gas exploration for decades. But as Shell’s (RDSA) drill ships continue to run aground in the Arctic, critics say letting Exxon drill off the coast of Newfoundland or the heavily populated U.S. Eastern Seaboard is a mistake. The risks: In 1982, the Ocean Ranger — then the largest drill rig of its type in the world — capsized and sank in nearby waters during a winter storm, killing all 84 crew members aboard. Safety standards have improved since then, but drilling in icy, remote conditions remains one of the most dangerous jobs in the businesses — as Royal Dutch Shell’s ill-fated Arctic foray showed last summer.

Published January 17, 2013 at 10:00 AM

Salazar Sees Fair Winds For Atlantic Projects In 2012

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Interior Secretary Ken Salazar says he expects the leasing process for wind projects off the Atlantic coast, including a “pioneering” backbone transmission project, to go forward early in 2012.

Salazar also announced Tuesday approval of wind and solar projects in the Southwest, and Deputy Secretary David Hayes said Interior is on track to meet Congress’ 2015 target, of 10,000 MW of renewables on federal lands, three years early. Keep reading →

Published December 21, 2011 at 10:45 AM

Bluewater Failure Highlights US Offshore Wind Problems

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The proposed Bluewater wind farm off the coast of Delaware is facing an uncertain future, one that could reflect broader impacts for the still-emerging US offshore wind industry.

The proposed wind farm off the coast of Delaware received a near-fatal blow this week when developer NRG Bluewater Wind said it would withdraw from a power purchase agreement with local utility Delmarva Power that would have given the wind farm a market for 200 MW of its output. Keep reading →

Published December 14, 2011 at 3:00 PM

Cuba Sanctions Would Prevent Oil Spill Response

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US oil companies would be hobbled in their response to an oil spill from wells off the cost of Cuba, a Senate committee heard this week.

If there’s an oil spill from wells being drilled off the Cuban coast, US companies have sophisticated response equipment just 100 miles away – but couldn’t use it due to long-standing sanctions against Cuba. Keep reading →

Published October 19, 2011 at 6:00 AM