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Author	Topic: Shell nearly finished modifying Arctic drill ship	Post a Reply Back to Topics

Nitewolf Champion Author Anchorage Posts:16,576 Points:2,107,595 Joined:Jun 2004	Message Posted: May 26, 2012 12:39:24 PM Ignore Nitewolf Report Abuse by Dan Joling / Associated Press May 25, 2012 SEATTLE - From the air, the Arctic drill ship Kulluk looks like a giant bowling pin seated on a shallow bowl. With the centerpiece of the ship, the 160-foot derrick, Shell Oil hopes to send down drill bits and pipe to tap vast oil reserves below the Beaufort Sea off Alaska's north coast. But it's the funnel-shape hull, with its flared sides, that makes the ship appropriate for Arctic Ocean waters, according to the company. "This conical shape is designed so that if ice starts to run under it - ice moves in the Arctic - if that ice starts to run under it, what that cone does is deflect the ice downward and breaks the ice up into small pieces," said Brent Ross, Shell Offshore Wells manager. "So in essence, you have a big drilling rig on a Visit Fairbanks Daily News Miner - www.newsminer.com for

Nitewolf

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Message Posted: May 26, 2012 12:39:24 PM

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by Dan Joling / Associated Press
May 25, 2012

SEATTLE - From the air, the Arctic drill ship Kulluk looks like a giant bowling pin seated on a shallow bowl.

With the centerpiece of the ship, the 160-foot derrick, Shell Oil hopes to send down drill bits and pipe to tap vast oil reserves below the Beaufort Sea off Alaska's north coast. But it's the funnel-shape hull, with its flared sides, that makes the ship appropriate for Arctic Ocean waters, according to the company.

"This conical shape is designed so that if ice starts to run under it - ice moves in the Arctic - if that ice starts to run under it, what that cone does is deflect the ice downward and breaks the ice up into small pieces," said Brent Ross, Shell Offshore Wells manager. "So in essence, you have a big drilling rig on a
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slowpoke Veteran Author Virginia Posts:277 Points:101,880 Joined:Apr 2012	Message Posted: May 26, 2012 11:45:28 PM Ignore slowpoke Report Abuse It would have been nice to see a picture of the hull
silverfoxv65 Champion Author Michigan Posts:4,490 Points:1,232,000 Joined:Sep 2009	Message Posted: May 26, 2012 11:20:23 PM Ignore silverfoxv65 Report Abuse Good lets get things going!
doeslayersr Champion Author Illinois Posts:9,133 Points:874,180 Joined:Dec 2010	Message Posted: May 26, 2012 9:38:02 PM Ignore doeslayersr Report Abuse Good.
graceman Champion Author Baltimore Posts:4,968 Points:1,158,725 Joined:Jun 2008	Message Posted: May 26, 2012 9:31:41 PM Ignore graceman Report Abuse Sounds like a good idea.
Hoporrene Veteran Author Mississippi Posts:312 Points:206,970 Joined:Dec 2011	Message Posted: May 26, 2012 9:13:08 PM Ignore Hoporrene Report Abuse hmmm
kag2010 Champion Author Winnipeg Posts:5,269 Points:1,022,685 Joined:Apr 2010	Message Posted: May 26, 2012 7:30:03 PM Ignore kag2010 Report Abuse Sounds good in theory.
200porter Champion Author Toronto Posts:2,075 Points:544,085 Joined:Sep 2011	Message Posted: May 26, 2012 6:51:45 PM Ignore 200porter Report Abuse Seems like a good hall up north, start drilling.
doggod Champion Author Anchorage Posts:2,858 Points:743,310 Joined:May 2009	Message Posted: May 26, 2012 6:32:16 PM Ignore doggod Report Abuse Sounds good in theory. I wonder if anyone has actually ever tested this idea in ... you know ... actual arctic ice. Or is this gonna be the test?
tnfran Champion Author Arizona Posts:4,393 Points:845,115 Joined:Dec 2010	Message Posted: May 26, 2012 6:25:22 PM Ignore tnfran Report Abuse It is a welcome addition. Keep drilling!!!!!!
Ticobird Champion Author Huntsville Posts:3,241 Points:1,117,965 Joined:Oct 2009	Message Posted: May 26, 2012 5:37:24 PM Ignore Ticobird Report Abuse I'll bet a lot of overtime was spent working on the dynamics of preventing ice damage while drilling. I sure hope it works. I would have thought they would have packed up during the ice months and restarted the drilling afterwards. I guess that plan if it was even a possibility was not profitable enough.
OilOnTheCheap Champion Author Ventura Posts:2,116 Points:452,335 Joined:Jan 2012	Message Posted: May 26, 2012 5:21:00 PM Ignore OilOnTheCheap Report Abuse Drill baby drill
djwhit Champion Author Ohio Posts:3,022 Points:1,210,405 Joined:Jul 2009	Message Posted: May 26, 2012 4:57:23 PM Ignore djwhit Report Abuse GET IT DONE.........
Joeski1 Champion Author New Jersey Posts:10,017 Points:1,744,760 Joined:Dec 2004	Message Posted: May 26, 2012 4:52:30 PM Ignore Joeski1 Report Abuse Unfortunately, the artic is assuredly doomed. Shell is one ofthe worst polluters on the planet. They are still unresponsive in the Nigerean Delta region where they alone are resonsible for killing off local fishing grounds and starving the population. [Edited by: Joeski1 at 5/26/2012 5:54:08 PM EST]
bruin19MD Champion Author Maryland Posts:1,064 Points:165,325 Joined:Feb 2011	Message Posted: May 26, 2012 4:48:28 PM Ignore bruin19MD Report Abuse hope it is safer than deep water drilling
ktbaeohana Champion Author Las Vegas Posts:2,311 Points:422,975 Joined:Mar 2010	Message Posted: May 26, 2012 4:32:01 PM Ignore ktbaeohana Report Abuse watch and see.
heydano67 Champion Author California Posts:1,681 Points:360,460 Joined:Feb 2012	Message Posted: May 26, 2012 3:34:30 PM Ignore heydano67 Report Abuse interesting
gizbo123 Champion Author Los Angeles Posts:1,520 Points:1,753,855 Joined:Dec 2005	Message Posted: May 26, 2012 3:22:08 PM Ignore gizbo123 Report Abuse WTG
humblepie Champion Author Toledo Posts:34,316 Points:2,374,295 Joined:Mar 2006	Message Posted: May 26, 2012 3:21:36 PM Ignore humblepie Report Abuse smart, very smart............
bullfrog42 All-Star Author Texas Posts:847 Points:171,085 Joined:May 2011	Message Posted: May 26, 2012 2:31:47 PM Ignore bullfrog42 Report Abuse Drill baby drill
uglytom Champion Author Florida Posts:7,464 Points:1,542,015 Joined:Jul 2007	Message Posted: May 26, 2012 2:10:21 PM Ignore uglytom Report Abuse cheers.
Tehbob Champion Author California Posts:2,306 Points:459,555 Joined:Jan 2012	Message Posted: May 26, 2012 1:46:21 PM Ignore Tehbob Report Abuse ok
JagXKR Champion Author British Columbia Posts:3,169 Points:1,093,480 Joined:Dec 2009	Message Posted: May 26, 2012 1:33:35 PM Ignore JagXKR Report Abuse Great tech.
dave27johnson Champion Author Chicago Posts:1,790 Points:411,010 Joined:Feb 2012	Message Posted: May 26, 2012 1:18:41 PM Ignore dave27johnson Report Abuse A refurbished ship that had been idle for 14 years.
shashathern Champion Author California Posts:4,103 Points:948,595 Joined:Jul 2010	Message Posted: May 26, 2012 1:11:52 PM Ignore shashathern Report Abuse Drill baby drill
sickhp Champion Author San Antonio Posts:1,389 Points:519,080 Joined:Sep 2011	Message Posted: May 26, 2012 1:05:56 PM Ignore sickhp Report Abuse Cool and drill baby drill for our black gold.
bandannaman Champion Author New Jersey Posts:1,849 Points:365,610 Joined:Dec 2010	Message Posted: May 26, 2012 12:55:33 PM Ignore bandannaman Report Abuse Neat.
335d1 Champion Author Virginia Posts:2,391 Points:760,995 Joined:Feb 2011	Message Posted: May 26, 2012 12:54:34 PM Ignore 335d1 Report Abuse Interesting design. I wish they had included some plans of the hull along with the photos of the ship.