Choppy seas for Kulluk

摘要

A relatively harmless grounding on small island near Kodiak, Alaska of a drillship that had yanked free of its tow has turned into a chronic headache for Shell as it seeks to continue its quest to develop its Alaskan offshore energy leases.On 5 September Shell agreed to pay the US Environmental Protection Agency a $390,000 penalty for violations of the drillship Kulluk's air permit. But the EPA settlement is just one hurdle that Shell has been able to clear so far since the 31 December 2012 accident.The Interior Department has indicated that new regulations for Arctic drilling can be expected by the end of this year following its analysis of Shell's 2012 drilling season, which will take into account the Kulluk grounding.