Shell oil drilling ship under tow; had run aground
Shell oil drilling under tow again after running aground on remote Alaska island during storm
In this image provided by the U.S. Coast Guard the conical drilling unit Kulluk sits grounded near a beach 40 miles southwest of Kodiak City, Alaska, Thursday, Jan. 3, 2012. The Kulluk grounded after many efforts by tug vessel crews and Coast Guard crews to move the vessel to safe harbor during a winter storm. (AP Photo/U.S. Coast Guard, Petty Officer 2nd Class Zachary Painter)
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) -- A Royal Dutch Shell PLC drill ship that was pulled from rocks off a remote Alaska island is approaching shelter in a protected Kodiak Island bay.
The Kulluk (CULL'-uck) ran aground New Year's Eve but was refloated at 10:10 Sunday night.
Kulluck incident command spokesman Ignacio Gonzalez says the vessel has been moving at about 4 mph on its way to Kiliuda Bay (kih-LOO'-dah) Bay.
A tug trailing the vessel is using infrared equipment to watch for oil sheens and has spotted no discharge.
Gonzalez says the vessel will undergo an extensive examination for damage from spending nearly a week aground and exposed to strong Gulf of Alaska wind and waves.
Early Monday morning the vessel was fewer than 10 nautical miles away from where crews planned to anchor up.
