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The tugs Aiviq and Nanuq tow the mobile drilling unit Kulluk while a Coast Guard MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter from Air Station Kodiak delivers parts to the tug Aiviq crew so they can make engine repairs while underway 80 miles southwest of Kodiak City, Alaska, Saturday, Dec. 29, 2012. The tug lost the initial tow Thursday and suffered several engine failures prompting the deployment of response assets by the Coast Guard and Royal Dutch Shell. (Petty Officer 1st Class Sara Francis, Coast Guard / December 29, 2012) |
Update: 18 crew members on the Kulluk, a Shell drill unit, were reported to be safe after the Coast Guard evacuated the vessel Saturday afternoon, according to the Unified Command responding to the scene south of Kodiak.
All four of the Aiviq’s main engines were also reported to be functioning after the Coast Guard delivered engine parts Saturday morning.
The Unified Command said in a statement that it will “accelerate the speed of the southbound tow to create even more margin between the vessels and land.”
Original (Dec. 29, 4:26 p.m.): A fierce storm continues to test the Coast Guard assisting the Kulluk, a Shell drill unit, along with three support vessels, about 50 miles south of Kodiak.
The Coast Guard said Saturday afternoon that it delivered engine parts to the crew on the Aiviq, an icebreaker vessel, being used to tug the Kulluk, and that the vessels were no longer drifting to shoal waters.
Shell said that two of the four engines on the Aiviq were restored after losing power in heavy seas and strong winds.
Royal Dutch Shell also launched two other vessels, the Guardsman and the Nanuq, to assist.
The Guardsman established a tow with the Aiviq and Kulluk Friday afternoon, however strong winds and seas broke the tow early Saturday morning.
The Coast Guard sent the Alex Haley, a cutter vessel, to the scene early Friday and it established a tandem tow of Aivig and Kulluk. The towline parted Saturday morning due to heavy seas, strong winds, and the mass of Shell’s vessels.
"The multiple towline failures only highlight the extremely challenging situation created by the winds, seas, and sheer bulk of the Kulluk,” Rear Admiral Thomas Ostebo, Commander 17th District in Juneau, Alaska, said. “I applaud the efforts of all the vessels on scene and their courage in the face of almost impossible odds.”
The Nanuq and the Aiviq established a towline and have kept the Kulluk from drifting.
On Friday evening, Shell requested to remove the crew from the Kulluk due to weather concerns, however the Coast Guard said heavy seas continue to make “operations extremely dangerous.”
The Coast Guard said the Aiviq is the only vessel on scene able to tow the Kulluk and that engine failures to the Aiviq were “attributed to some poor quality fuel that had been isolated.”
The Alert, a tug from Prince William Sound, also has the ability to tug the Kulluk and it will arrive mid-day Sunday, according to the Coast Guard.
A unified command compromised of the Coast Guard, Royal Dutch Shell, the Feds, State and local officials are monitoring the situation in Kodiak.
The Coast Guard reported dealing with conditions of 20-30 foot seas and 30-40 knot winds during its efforts.
“Without their efforts the overall situation would be much worse than it is now," Rear Admiral Ostebo said.
Contact Neil Torquiano
