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Kulluk
Kulluk was an ice-strengthened drill barge that was used for oil exploration in the Arctic waters. She was constructed by Mitsui Engineering & Shipbuilding in Japan in 1983 and operated in the Canadian Arctic until 1993 when she was mothballed for over a decade. In 2005, she was purchased and extensively refurbished by Shell PLC for drilling off the Alaska North Slope.
On 31 December 2012, Kulluk drifted aground after the towing line to the icebreaking anchor handling tug supply vessel Aiviq parted in heavy weather. While the rig was recovered, it was irreparable and was scrapped in March 2014.
From 1983 to 1993, the rig was operated by Gulf Canada Resources in Northern Canada. She was mothballed in 1993, and in 2005 she was acquired by Shell Plc and underwent intensive refurbishment.
In January 2006, Shell awarded a contract to manage and operate Kulluk to Frontier Drilling (now part of Noble Corporation).
On 31 December 2012, Kulluk drifted aground off Sitkalidak Island in the Gulf of Alaska. Up until October the rig had been working in the Beaufort Sea, off the Alaska North Slope. She was being towed to her winter home in Seattle when she encountered a storm, and the incident occurred. The United States Coast Guard evacuated her 18-man crew on 29 December. On New Year's Eve, tug crews were ordered by the United States Coast Guard to cut the rig loose, leading to her grounding.
Kulluk's movement south for the winter was at least in part motivated by an effort to avoid State of Alaska property taxes on oil and gas extraction equipment. The tax in question is a state property tax of 20 mills (or 2%) "on property used or committed by contract or other agreement for use for the pipeline transportation of gas or unrefined oil or for the production of gas or unrefined oil at its full and true value as of January 1 of the assessment year." The tax liability for the rig was estimated at $6–7 million, based on the value of the rig.
Kulluk was carrying 138,000 US gallons (520,000 L; 115,000 imp gal) of ultra-low-sulfur diesel fuel, 1,000 US gallons (3,800 L; 830 imp gal) of aviation fuel and 12,000 US gallons (45,000 L; 10,000 imp gal) of lubricants.
On January 6, 2013, Kulluk was floated from the rocks. Satisfied the vessel was seaworthy, she was towed to shelter in nearby Kodiak Island's Kiliuda Bay. After further assessment of damage, Kulluk was towed to Captains Bay, Unalaska, Alaska, where she was loaded on the heavy lift ship Xiang Rui Kou. She departed for Singapore for repair and updates in late March 2013.
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Kulluk
Kulluk was an ice-strengthened drill barge that was used for oil exploration in the Arctic waters. She was constructed by Mitsui Engineering & Shipbuilding in Japan in 1983 and operated in the Canadian Arctic until 1993 when she was mothballed for over a decade. In 2005, she was purchased and extensively refurbished by Shell PLC for drilling off the Alaska North Slope.
On 31 December 2012, Kulluk drifted aground after the towing line to the icebreaking anchor handling tug supply vessel Aiviq parted in heavy weather. While the rig was recovered, it was irreparable and was scrapped in March 2014.
From 1983 to 1993, the rig was operated by Gulf Canada Resources in Northern Canada. She was mothballed in 1993, and in 2005 she was acquired by Shell Plc and underwent intensive refurbishment.
In January 2006, Shell awarded a contract to manage and operate Kulluk to Frontier Drilling (now part of Noble Corporation).
On 31 December 2012, Kulluk drifted aground off Sitkalidak Island in the Gulf of Alaska. Up until October the rig had been working in the Beaufort Sea, off the Alaska North Slope. She was being towed to her winter home in Seattle when she encountered a storm, and the incident occurred. The United States Coast Guard evacuated her 18-man crew on 29 December. On New Year's Eve, tug crews were ordered by the United States Coast Guard to cut the rig loose, leading to her grounding.
Kulluk's movement south for the winter was at least in part motivated by an effort to avoid State of Alaska property taxes on oil and gas extraction equipment. The tax in question is a state property tax of 20 mills (or 2%) "on property used or committed by contract or other agreement for use for the pipeline transportation of gas or unrefined oil or for the production of gas or unrefined oil at its full and true value as of January 1 of the assessment year." The tax liability for the rig was estimated at $6–7 million, based on the value of the rig.
Kulluk was carrying 138,000 US gallons (520,000 L; 115,000 imp gal) of ultra-low-sulfur diesel fuel, 1,000 US gallons (3,800 L; 830 imp gal) of aviation fuel and 12,000 US gallons (45,000 L; 10,000 imp gal) of lubricants.
On January 6, 2013, Kulluk was floated from the rocks. Satisfied the vessel was seaworthy, she was towed to shelter in nearby Kodiak Island's Kiliuda Bay. After further assessment of damage, Kulluk was towed to Captains Bay, Unalaska, Alaska, where she was loaded on the heavy lift ship Xiang Rui Kou. She departed for Singapore for repair and updates in late March 2013.
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