Risk and reward in the arctlc

摘要

The challenges of operating in the US Artie are best illustrated by the experiences of Royal Dutch Shell last year, and safety experts are using that experience to help the offshore shipping and support services sector better understand what it takes minimise risk in this difficult new frontier.In 2012 Shell began drilling two wells off the coast of Alaska, one each in the Chukchi and Beaufort seas. It marked the first wells drilled in the region in 15 years and an historic re-entry into the US Arctic offshore.But while the actual drilling was successful, maritime incidents related to the operations that occurred last year caused Shell to cancel its 2013 drilling plans: the near-grounding of the drilling rig Discoverer in July and the grounding of the drillship Kulluk in December (see sidebar).