Shell in Alaska

[ATPMBA]

Does Shell have an operator selected for the exploration in the Arctic Ocean? What operators are up in that area?

[tottigol]

ERA, selected since last year.

[Redhawk 83]

ERA? When did that get announced?

[tottigol]

Ummmm..last year?

[Redhawk 83]

:ouch: Ok I walked into that one;

I guess I should have asked for more details. I haven't seen any news on this from ERA (on their website) or in any of the trade journals. If it was announced; how and in what forum was it announced? Can you give us a link?

Supporting what (pax? SAR?) where (in Chuckchi or Beaufort or both) based from where? (Pt Hope? Wainwright? Barrow? Deadhorse?) With what machines 225? AW139? S61?

[Redhawk 83]

well guess I am not going to get the strait story and I tried to be humble even when I got a flippant answer to my first inquiry.

But selected is not announced; ERA I guess has some marine wildlife spotting going on up in Deadhorse but with Shell drilling next year; could ERA have the whole pie? Maybe. Maybe not.:rolleyes:

[ATPMBA]

Redhawk,

I looked ERA's website and they do have a presence up their but no mention of any new exploratory work. Perhaps I will give them a telephone call next week.

[Shell Management]

In the past it has been with a 212.

[inputshaft]

The Chukchi sea contract for summer 2010, before it was cancelled by President Obama's measure, was with VIH Cougar for a S92, flying from Barrow. The year before, VIHC supplied a S61 for SAR support of the seismic vessel.

SM - 212s? Where, based on the above facts?

[Shell Management]

The past stretches back before 2010. Cougar after all didn't get to do any real flying! I bet they were glad of the Shell vote of confidence after their 2009 accident!!

[John Eacott]

Shell Files Revised Arctic Offshore Drilling Plan
(http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/shell-files-revised-arctic-offshore-drilling-plan-25167691)

Royal Dutch Shell PLC has filed a revised Arctic offshore drilling plan with federal regulators but says the company hasn't decided whether to return to waters off the coast of northwest Alaska in 2015.

The revised exploration plan submitted to the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management in Anchorage calls for two drilling vessels to operate simultaneously in the Chukchi Sea rather than one in the Chukchi and one in the Beaufort Sea off Alaska's north Coast.

The presence of two vessels is required so one can drill a relief well in the event of damage from a blowout.

Shell Gulf of Mexico Inc.'s revised plan calls for the return of the Noble Discoverer, which performed top hole work at the company's Burger prospect in 2012. The second drilling vessel planned for the Chukchi is the Polar Pioneer, owned by Transocean Ltd., said Shell Alaska spokesman Curtis Smith.

"Today's filing is not a final decision to drill next summer, but it does preserve the option," he said by email.

In 2012, Shell drilled pilot holes and dug mudline cellars in the Chukchi and Beaufort seas. The company was not allowed to drill into oil-bearing deposits because required response equipment was not on hand.

The company experienced problems in the challenging Arctic conditions, culminating with the drill vessel Kulluk running aground off an island near Kodiak as it was being towed across the Gulf of Alaska in stormy weather.

Shell chose not to drill during the short open water drilling season in 2013 or 2014, and it faces regulatory hurdles if it wants to send its drill fleet north again.

Besides obtaining necessary permits, Smith said, there has to be a resolution to the legal cloud hanging over the 2008 Chukchi lease sale. A federal appeals court in January ruled that the federal government conducted a flawed environmental review before selling $2.7 billion in Chukchi leases. The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management is conducting supplemental environmental work.

In a statement, Greenpeace spokesman John Deans condemned future Shell drilling and said the company's Arctic bungling had put the region at risk.

Smith said Shell plans to fortify its fleet with more anchor handlers, new tugs, additional offshore supply vessels and an extra helicopter. The company is taking a methodical approach in making decisions, he said.

"We have to have total confidence we can execute a program safely," Smith said.

[Boudreaux Bob]

Kodiak is in the Pacific and well below the Arctic Circle!

But for Journalists what are mere details like a 1,000 plus miles or so.

Someone must be turned around a bit.

As I recall the last go around on permits had to do with Exhaust Emissions from the ships being the concern.

Having been involved in Surveying of the Coastline from Deadhorse clear to the Canadian Border....Barter Island/Katktovik is the only thing East of Deadhorse and that has about 300 people.....and there is SFA east of there until that wee Concrete Marker that indicates the Canadian Border.

The US Military left Gazillions of empty fuels drums littered about from the DEW Line Days but they have mostly turned to Iron Oxide.

GreenPeace must be smoking some funny Tobacco judging by their comments.




http://www.travelalaska.com/destinations/~/media/Images/Travel%20Alaska/Maps/AlaskaMap.ashx

[satsuma]

Greenpeace are far from being the lunatic fringe when it comes to the thought of drilling in the pristine wilderness of the Arctic. They speak for the many who find the prospect (pardon the pun) of drilling there - and only being able to because of the ocean warming that we've caused - quite obscene.

[Fareastdriver]

Too expensive up there. There's a lot of cheaper places in the world to drill.

[Boudreaux Bob]

Sats.....so do tell us all about your experience in the Arctic and in the Oil business.

Please don't bore us with the Global Warming crap which we know has been proven to be one big conspiracy. We read those Emails that the Lunatic Fringe (Gore's Experts) were passing around telling each other to hide data and falsely state results of studies.

The last time the Permits were denied was due to the fact Shell had not submitted the paperwork on a single drill Ship.....one that had been approved for many years prior and the Government would not allow for a late submission of the exact same data they had been approving in years past.

Just exactly how much exhaust gases do you think that one vessel emits?

Until you have walked the ground up there....and walk on the Water as well.....you just do not understand the vastness of the place and the minimal effect drilling operations cause.

In many ways the North Sea is a far more dangerous place for drilling than the Arctic yet you do not oppose that as evidenced by your lack of comment over the years.

So is this just a band wagon you have jumped on?

[HiAk]

Actually, Shell did have a drilling rig run aground in Kodiak. It was big news up here for quite a while.
search "Shell oil rig crash Alaska" there are tons of articles.

To the OP. At this very moment ERA, Erickson, Pathfinder, and the odd Maritime and Soloy machine are up here. Of those, ERA is really the only one poised to provide services to Shell. At the moment ERA is bleeding Oil/Gas contracts in Alaska. Rumors have it that this is by design. (This is how Erickson is up here operating 3 B212) However, everything I have heard from people in the North Slope Borough indicate that the new region of interest is farther to the west toward Barrow. If this is indeed the case, I'm sure Shell could choose whichever provider they want since no one will have competitive advantage from established infrastructure.

[Boudreaux Bob]

Point for people to remember....by looking at the Map is Kodiak is not in the Arctic area or Arctic Ocean.

Kodiak is in Pacific waters at the opposite end of Alaska.

The Grounding did not take place during any Drilling Operations but happened while the Ship was in Transit.

[JHR]

Two years ago (2012) Bristow, ERA, PHI and Cougar were all working for Shell on the North Slope. Bristow and ERA participated in the Drill rig grounding off Kodiak. Last summer (2013) Era had one AW139 in Barrow for Shell. I'm unaware of any Shell work for helicopters on the slope for 2014