According to Fuel Fix, Shell has discovered a ballast hole leak in the hull of their 22 year old icebreaker, the MSV Fennica.
The 22-year-old icebreaker has since returned to the port in Dutch Harbor and is being examined by marine experts, but it is uncertain how quickly the breach in its hull can be repaired and whether this will delay Shell’s hopes to begin drilling an oil well in the Chukchi Sea later this month.
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. But Shell’s contracted Fennica is unique in that it is carrying a critical piece of the company’s Arctic containment system: a capping stack designed to fit on top of a damaged well in case of a blowout or other emergency.
Shell spokesman Curtis Smith said the company does not believe the Fennica damage will delay the company’s planned Chukchi Sea operations.
“Any impact to our season will ultimately depend on the extent of the damage,” Smith said.
This is not good news for Shell. They had hoped that with the Obama Administration approving their permits to drill for oil in the Chukchi Sea they would finally be able to destroy the arctic ecosystem in order to make a buck for their shareholders. But problems have somewhat delayed their mission in the Arctic. A
public relations disaster greeted them in Seattle as they arrived from
Honolulu. Resistance from the people of the PNW was outstanding and made international news. Shell has been ordered to scale back their drilling operations from 2 drill sites to just one as wildlife protections do not allow for wells to be simultaneously drilled 15 miles from each other. Regulators at the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement are holding up their permits for review. If this most recent problem requires significant repair, they will be required to have the drilling plan reviewed once again by the Interior Dept. From Fuel Fix: "Any significant repair that sidelines the Fennica for the brief Arctic drilling season could require Shell to get a new authorization from regulators at the Interior Department because it would represent a departure from the company’s government-approved Chukchi Sea exploration plan. That exploration plan outlines the vessels Shell plans to use and their main missions during normal operations and any emergency."
Interior Department spokeswoman Jessica Kershaw said regulators there “continue to review Shell’s proposal for drilling activity in the Chukchi Sea this summer.”
“As we’ve said from day one, Shell will be held to highest safety and environmental standards,” Kershaw said. “This includes having on hand the required emergency response systems necessary for each phase of its drilling program.”
Shell’s Smith said authorities were promptly notified of the ballast leak and hull breach. Neither the vessel and its crew were in danger, he said, and the Fennica’s ballast pumps continue to perform normally.
Although it is “an unfortunate potential setback,” Smith said, “in no way does it characterize the preparations we have made to operate exceptionally well.”
Dare we hope that their Arctic drilling plans get sidelined this summer?
Shell's Burger Prospect lease environmental assessment can be seen here.