Royal Dutch Shell has terminated its contract for use of Transocean's Polar Pioneer drilling rig following the the oil major's decision to abandon its drilling plans offshore Alaska. Transocean, a Switzerland-based offshore drilling contractor, made the announcement Monday, saying Shell has elected to terminate the contract for the harsh … [Read more...]
Shell Seeks to Preserve U.S. Drilling Rights in Arctic Ocean
By Jennifer A. Dlouhy (Bloomberg) -- Royal Dutch Shell Plc is fighting to preserve U.S. drilling rights in Arctic waters three months after halting exploration indefinitely there because it failed to find meaningful oil or natural gas deposits. Europe’s largest oil company filed a notice of appeal Tuesday challenging the U.S. Interior Department’s Oct. 29 rejection of the … [Read more...]
U.S. Halts Arctic Drilling Under Obama Administration
By Brian Wingfield and Joe Carroll (Bloomberg) -- The U.S. Interior Department canceled the two remaining Arctic oil and gas lease sales scheduled to occur under its current program, effectively halting drilling off Alaska’s coast under President Barack Obama. The decision comes less than a month after Royal Dutch Shell Plc said it would indefinitely cease … [Read more...]
Shell Abandons Arctic Exploration After Spending $7 Billion
By Karolin Schaps LONDON, Sept 28 (Reuters) - Royal Dutch Shell has abandoned its Arctic search for oil after failing to find enough crude, a move that will appease environmental campaigners and shareholders who said its project was too expensive and risky. The withdrawal came six weeks after the final U.S. clearance and three months after Shell was still … [Read more...]
Ship Photos of the Day – Shell’s Arctic Fleet
Shell Alaska has deployed a wide range of vessels in support of its 2015 exploratory drilling at the Burger Prospect in the Chukchi Sea off the northwest coast of Alaska. The fleet consists of two drilling rigs and 29 vessels, including anchor handlers, barges, ice management units, landing craft/crew boats, offshore supply vessels, oil spill response vessels, tankers and tugs. … [Read more...]