Royal Dutch Shell PLC's foray into Arctic offshore drilling has suffered a serious setback after one of its two Alaskan drilling rigs ran aground off a small island while trying to escape a fierce storm. The Kulluk drilling ship grounded Monday night on rocks off the southeast side of Sitkalidak, an uninhabited island in the Gulf of Alaska, according to officials at a command center run by the U.S. Coast Guard, Shell and Alaskan state emergency workers. The Kulluk was being towed by a 360-foot anchor handler, the Aiviq, and a tugboat, the Alert. The vessels were moving north along Kodiak Island, trying to escape the worst of a North Pacific storm that included winds near 70 mph (113 kph) and ocean swells to 35 feet (11 meters), according to a report of the Associated Press. About 4:15 p.m., the drill ship separated from the Aiviq about 10 to 15 miles (16 to 24 kilometers) offshore and grounding was inevitable, Coast Guard Cmdr. Shane Montoya told reporters. "Once the Aiviq lost its tow, we knew the Alert could not manage the Kulluk on its own as far as towing, and that's when we started planning for the grounding," he said. The command center instructed the nine tug crew members to guide the drill ship to a place where it would cause the least environmental damage. The tug cut the unmanned ship loose at 8:15 p.m. and it grounded at 9 p.m. near the north tip of Ocean Bay on Sitkalidak Island. The Coast Guard planned to fly out early Tuesday to plan a salvage operation and possible spill response. The drill ship drafts up to 40 feet (12 meters) and is carrying 150,000 gallons of diesel and about 12,000 gallons of lube oil and hydraulic fluid, Montoya said.
