Juneau (Platts)--21Jan2013/411 pm EST/2111 GMT
US Coast Guard and Shell officials have completed a damage assessment of the company's Kulluk drill vessel, but are not yet releasing results, according to a statement from Unified Command, a USCG/Shell group. The Kulluk ran aground December 31 on an island off Kodiak, Alaska. It was refloated and moved January 7 to a protected bay on Kodiak Island, where hull inspections were carried out by divers and a Remote Operated Vehicle. "The damage discovered on the Kulluk is consistent with what is expected from a vessel of this type being on hard ground. The fuel tanks are intact," the late Friday statement from Unified Command said. "Once the damage report is completed, the Kulluk and plans to move the vessel will be evaluated before it is moved to the next location," it added. "Water did enter some spaces of the vessel through damaged hatches," during the grounding, the statement said. "However, the water has been captured and is being safely stored in a compartment. Points of entry for water into the Kulluk are being sealed (windows and hatches). Additionally, tow brackets are being added for preparation for the next move." The Kulluk was one of two drill vessels used by Shell in its fall 2012 exploration program in Arctic Outer Continental Shelf waters. The other vessel, the Noble Discoverer, is in port at Seward, Alaska, awaiting transit to a shipyard in Seattle for off-season maintenance. The USCG had directed the Noble Discoverer to Seward to investigate possible violation of environmental and safety regulations. The investigation is now complete, the USCG has said, but no results of the investigation have been released.--Tim Bradner, newsdesk@platts.com--Edited by Keiron Greenhalgh, keiron_greenhalgh@platts.comSimilar stories appear in Oilgram News. See more information at http://www.platts.com/Products/oilgramnews