A drillship owned by Royal Dutch Shell (RDS.A) (RDS.B) has been grounded on an island in Alaska since about 9 p.m. local time Monday. The oil firm said in a press release yesterday that there has been no loss of life, adding that the incident does not "involve any possibility of crude oil release."
The ship, named Kulluk, ran to ground on the southeast shoreline of Sitkalidak Island in heavy seas while on tow to the port of Seattle Monday evening, Royal Dutch Shell said in its statement.
The Financial Times reported that a group consisting of company employees and those from the Kulluk's operator, Noble (NEBLQ), the Coast Guard, and the state's Department of Environmental Conservation was working to address the situation.
The FT reported that the Kulluk was carrying 150,000 gallons of ultra low-sulphur diesel fuel, and approximately 12,000 gallons of lubricating oil and hydraulic fluid.
