Kulluk Arrives in Dutch Harbor

Stephanie Joyce/KUCB

Several dozen people gathered on the beach in Unalaska yesterday (Tuesday) afternoon to watch as Shell Oil’s damaged drill rig Kulluk was towed into Dutch Harbor.
Four local tugs helped maneuver the round, 277-foot Kulluk into Captain’s Bay, while the tugs that towed the rig from Kodiak stood by. The Kulluk will tie up at its specialized dock in the bay until the “heavy-lift” vessel arrives to take it to dry dock in Asia.
Shell spokesman Curtis Smith couldn’t say when that heavy-lift ship is scheduled to arrive, though according to its automated tracking system, the Xiang Rui Kou left China on Sunday. Once it gets to Unalaska, the vessel will partially submerge, slide under the Kulluk and then secure the drill rig before raising its deck from below the water and departing.
Smith says Shell hasn’t yet selected which shipyard in Asia will do the repairs to the Kulluk.