Nanuq

The "Nanuq" will escort the damaged drill vessel "Kulluk" once it is towed from Kiliuda Bay on Kodiak Island to Dutch Harbor, as the first part of a move to a shipyard in Asia for repairs of damage suffered when the "Kulluk" grounded Dec. 31 in a storm. The decision to move the vessel was based on independent review by Det Norske Veritas (DNV) validating that the "Kulluk"'s structural integrity and stability, post grounding, is sound for towing. Shell has received DNV Class Certification and Flag State approval for the "Kulluk," wrote the Unified Command, the joint Shell/U.S. Coast Guard team managing the Kulluk incident, in a statement issued Feb 13. The Unified Command's work was complete, and that Coast Guard and Shell personnel returned to normal duties. The Coast Guard will, however, continue to monitor the activities involved in preparing the "Kulluk" for movement and the Captain of the Port order will be lifted once all the requirements have been met. After weeks of thorough assessment, analysis and on board activity, Shell confirmed that the "Kulluk" was safe to tow out of Kiliuda Bay. The completion of the damage assessment revealed that the inner hull of the "Kulluk" was not breached and that all fuel tanks remain intact. The outer hull did receive damage as expected with a vessel being aground during adverse weather. In addition, the Kulluk encountered water damage to its superstructure which resulted in damage to technical equipment and a breach of windows and hatches The "Kulluk" will be towed by three ocean-going tugs to Dutch Harbor and accompanied by the response vessel "Nanuq". The transit time wiil be approximately 10 days. At Dutch Harbor the drill vessel will be prepared for its "dry-tow" to a shipyard in Asia, which will be done with a specialized heavy-lift vessel.