Alaskan Offshore Oil Rig Goes Adrift During Storm

Workers Evacuated By Coast Guard After Struggle To Save Rig

Reports indicate that a gigantic oil rig constructed by Shell Corporation off the Alaskan Coast has broken free during a winter squall, with workers struggling to reconnect tow lines being forced to evacuate due to the dangerous weather. The vessel, which has been used to drill test wells in the Gulf of Alaska, was being towed to Seattle for maintenance at an offshore shipyard when the storm struck.

According to a press release by officials with the Shell Oil office in Anchorage, the vessel is called the Kulluk, one of two such test rigs being used as part of the company's initiative to open the waters off Alaska's North Slope. Built to drill to depths of 20,000 feet, the ship carries a crew of 140 people when fully operational.

Originally built in 1983, the Kulluk has been significantly upgraded and altered over the past few years to withstand the extreme conditions off the Alaskan shores. The Arctic waters to the north represent one of the last few untapped American oil hotspots, officials with Shell claim, and they are determined to begin the process of tapping it.

During the trip southwards to the Seattle shipyards, however, disaster struck when the rig was separated from the towing line during a sudden storm. The ship towing the vessel then lost power and was unable to get started again. Support ships and several crafts with the Coast Guard arrived shortly thereafter and began the effort of reconnecting towlines to the humongous rig, working in 25-foot swell during the crisis.

Each time the crew successfully attached a line, however, it would be broken by the storm. Finally, the Coast Guard decided to evacuate the crew for their safety, and the rig was allowed to drift off into the waves. At last report, fortunately, the Kulluk had been spotted about 19 miles off Kodiak Island, and support ships were again working to reconnect towlines. Thankfully, no workers were killed during the storm, but it is unclear if anyone was seriously injured.

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