Alaska: Shell Oil Calls Off 2013 Arctic Drilling


B. McPherson
Amid accidents and safety violations Shell pulls out of Arctic

Shell Oil has announced that it will not be drilling for oil in the Alaskan Arctic this summer. They have exploration leases in the Arctic in the Chukchi Sea.

They had trouble with an oil drillship that was being towed to Seattle for refurbishment when the tow lines snapped in rough seas. It subsequently grounded on an island and there were fears that it would spill its oil used for ballast. Eventually the Noble Discoverer was towed south for repairs. Shell has decided to send it to Korea for repairs and it will not be ready to deploy this summer. 

Drilling for petroleum is ramping up as the Arctic warms. It is believed that large pools of oil lie beneath the polar region. Environmentalists have warned about the dire consequences should a spill occur in these waters. It’s a rule of thumb that the colder the water, the harder it is to retrieve the pollution.

In addition to probable damage to the environment, should a drill rig run into difficulties there is little help within hundreds of miles.

The US Coast Guard confirmed our fears just last week, listing 16 safety violations on Shell’s rig that ran aground in at the end of last year in Alaska. The onus is now on President Obama to make Shell’s temporary stay of Arctic drilling permanent. Greenpeace

You can read their extensive list of safety violations at FuelFix, a page “powered by Statoil”, the Norweigan oil giant.

Many countries are poised to exploit the riches lying under the Arctic Ocean. We can only hope that they take a less cavalier attitude to the safety of both the men working for them and for our pristine, frigid wilderness.
Location: Chukchi Sea

Comments

  1. Billie Greenwood6 March 2013 at 10:49

    This sounds like good news. Thanks for a timely report. It's great to have something to celebrate on the environmental front!

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Prince Rupert Says No to Enbridge Pipeline

Image
B. McPherson Prince Rupert city council joined a growing list of BC coastal communities that are saying “No” to the Enbridge proposal to build a twinned pipeline from Edmonton to the coast. The decision of the Prince Rupert city politicians was unanimous. Already the village of Kitimaat, Terrace and the Skeena Queen Charlottes Regional District have voiced their opposition to the project. There are ongoing hearings by a federal court appointed Joint Review Panel which are gathering input from interested parties about the proposed Enbridge Northern Gateway Pipeline which would bring crude petroleum from the oil sands of Alberta to the coast of British Columbia. The proposal would see a twinned pipeline run over the Rocky Mountains and through wilderness to the treacherous west coast. The proposed terminus at Kitimat would require tankers to wend their way through the maze of islands and reefs to load up at the head of Douglas Channel. While the hearings and the finding
Read more

Abandoned Oil Pipelines What Lurks Below?

Image
These photos were taken July 2012 in the historic Turner Valley, Alberta B. McPherson Controversy over new oil pipelines is reaching boiling point in many circles. Heated debate is taking place over the proposed Enbridge Northern Gateway and Keystone Pipeline proposals. Safety, disruption to landowners  and more are being weighed against the money to be made transporting and selling petroleum products. It got me thinking about the old pipelines. What happens to a pipeline when it is too old to use or not needed? It’s a bit of an Alice in Wonderland scene. The US laws and regulations are different from ours in Canada. The Pipeline and Gas Journal is a source of information about abandoned pipelines in Texas. Apparently a pipeline in Texas may be abandoned by a company, but it still retains ownership and may choose to reactivate the line at a later date. In the meantime, the right of way or easement is no longer maintained, but the through which the pipe extends is not free
Read more

Efficient Rail Transport May Make Pipelines Obsolete

Image
B. McPherson What happens to all the abandoned pipelines? Oil pipelines have huge direct costs to build, but they also have many hidden costs. In spite of dire warnings by environmentalist the world is demanding ever greater supplies of the black gold. For those countries that have it and market it successfully, money comes rolling in. But at what cost? An oil pipeline is a hugely complex thing. Enbridge Corp. has been battling citizens in British Columbia over its proposed Northern Gateway Pipeline and the Keystone Pipeline in the US has been stalled for months. When Big Oil needs to transport oil or bitumen to refineries, it usually gets a smooth ride to approval. Labelling energy security as a national priority, property rights are infringed upon. People in Canada cannot legally stop the installation of a pipeline across their property. The high pressure conduit is often buried only a few feet below the surface leaving crops, buildings and livestock vulnerable to a
Read more