Shell runs out of time in the Arctic

Shell’s offshore drillers have lost their race with the Arctic winter and abandoned hope of striking oil this year, but will drill wells before the ice closes in to prepare for a 2013 search for the region’s elusive riches.
By The Newsroom
Published 18th Sep 2012, 10:40 BST

Shell had until September 24 to drill into oil reservoirs in the Chukchi Sea, according to US rules designed to accommodate the dangers of drilling in increasing ice and deteriorating weather in the environmentally sensitive region.

But Shell’s US offshore Arctic expedition has faced a series of setbacks.

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The latest came yesterday when the company said its containment dome, a giant metal box on a barge that is standing by to help contain any oil spill resulting from a well blowout, had been damaged during tests.

By October 31, Shell must halt all operations, including top hole wells which stop short of the oil reservoirs but prepare the way for drilling in earnest next year.