Murphy’s Law was proven once again this weekend as the Noble Discoverer, a Shell-contracted drill ship destined to start drilling in arctic waters, encountered ground tackle issues of some sort last night and wound up dangerously close to the shore of Hog Island in Unalaska Bay near Dutch Harbor.
The state of Alaska has a number of different anchorages available in Unalaska Bay depending on the gross tonnage of a given vessel. Wide Bay or Broad Bay (directly to the south of Wide Bay) are two designated anchorages for vessels greater than 20,000 gross tons, however the anchorage between Hog Island and Amaknak Island is the likely place where the Noble Discoverer was anchored. This anchorage is rated for vessels between 10,000 and 19,999 GT which draw 30 feet or less.
At 13,485 GT, the Noble Discoverer is rated to anchor in that area.
Winds were blowing up to 35 knots at the time of the incident and the mud bottom should have provided a secure hold for the ship’s anchor(s).
Coast Guard spokeswoman Petty Officer Sara Francis commented, “We received a report at about 5:18 p.m. that the anchor let go and they were traveling toward shore. They took quick action with the assistance of tugs to redirect and move the vessel away from shore.”
Wide Bay (top left) with Broad Bay just to the south
Hog Island, Unalaska, AKApproximate location of grounding.
Shell spokesperson Curtis Smith commented on the incident:
Today, while moored off the coast of Dutch Harbor, the Noble Discoverer drill ship drifted toward land and stopped very near the coast. One of Shell’s vessels, the Lauren Foss, then safely towed the Discoverer to its prior mooring position, and the ship’s engines were started. Shell personnel are now evaluating the ship’s mooring system to determine why the vessel moved closer to shore. As a precaution, we have activated a dive team to inspect the drill ship.
Location of Dutch Harbor, Alaska
UPDATE: The USCG reports no underwater damage to the Noble Discoverer, however Shell is dispatching a 3rd party dive team to inspect the vessel.
By Ellen Francis (Reuters) – Interpol has issued red notices for the captain and owner of the ship that carried the chemicals which devastated Beirut in an explosion in August, killing 200...
By Chen Aizhu (Reuters) – China has issued 5 million tonnes of clean marine fuel export quotas in the first release for 2021, to five companies including a private refiner,...
By Andrea Shalal (Reuters) – The United States is urging European allies and private companies to halt work that could help build the Nord Stream 2 natural gas pipeline and...
December 23, 2020
Total Views: 807
Sign Up Now for gCaptain Daily
Just enter your email and get hot news every morning
We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience. By clicking “Accept”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies.
This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.