Sounds pretty crazy to me.
Can Shell Drill Safely in the Arctic?
Experts say the Arctic poses many challenges for drillers. It's hard to move workers and material around. The cold weather can destroy equipment and shut down operations. Heavy seas can flip ships and floating drilling rigs, while the nearest Coast Guard station is 1,000 miles away.
New technology designed to withstand Arctic temperatures can help, but a big spill would be difficult if not impossible to clean up.
"If you have a significant oil spill in the ocean, there will be significant environmental consequences and none of them are good," said Paul W. Bommer, professor of petroleum engineering at the University of Texas who worked with the federal government's "plume team" to estimate the amount of oil escaping from BP’s Macondo well in the Gulf of Mexico in 2010.
Shell officials counter that they and other oil firms have drilled 500 test wells in the Arctic region without a spill. They also say that the shallower water of the Chukchi Sea means that the pressure on the wellheads will be less, and that it will be easier to access should something to wrong.
Shell spokeswoman Kayla Macke said in an email statement that preventing a spill is the company's number one priority.
"We have built an industry-leading capability in preventing spills and in our readiness to respond to any that occur. We regularly test our plans and preparedness, and take part in large-scale joint exercises with other industry partners, government agencies, scientists and oil spill experts," Macke said.
"If any system or device fails, a back-up system or device immediately takes over to prevent a well blowout. For our drilling operations in Alaska, we have a robust response program consisting of a dedicated on-site fleet, near-shore barges and response vessels and onshore response teams. And, in the event of a worst-case scenario, we have developed technologies that can track and remove spilled oil from solid and broken ice."
Under the terms of the drilling agreement, Shell can only work in the region during the ice-free months during the summer and fall. The oil giant had started drilling test wells in 2012 when its oil drilling barge the Kullik, broke free from a tow rope during heavy seas and ran aground on an uninhabited island in the Bering Sea. The 2013 Coast Guard report blamed Shell and the tow operator for the near-disaster.
http://news.discovery.com/earth/oceans/can-shell-drill-safely-in-the-arctic-150513.htm
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