A window of good weather and a bid to ensure Royal Dutch Shell had more time to prepare for the 2013 drilling season was the major reason an ill-fated drilling rig was moved across the Gulf of Alaska in midwinter, the company testified Tuesday.
Norman "Buddy" Custard, Shell Alaska's emergency response team leader, testified before the Coast Guard's marine casualty investigation hearing that while there was discussion of the tax advantages of moving the drilling rig Kulluk before the end of the year, that was not the driving force behind moving the vessel from Dutch Harbor in late December 2012.
"(By keeping it in Dutch Harbor longer) it could compound the delay and possibly (hurt) our drilling season -- when we could get it back to get it in season," Custard said when asked questions by National Transportation Safety Board Supervisory Investigator Barry Strauch.
Whether or not taxes – the company might have owed millions if the Kulluk had remained in Dutch Harbor much longer — influenced the decision to head across the Gulf of Alaska in December has been a point of contention ever since the drill rig ran aground on New Year's Eve after encountering a devastating winter storm.
Forecast reliable for 72 hours
Custard's testimony was a continuation of what he said Monday, when he spoke about his role on the emergency response team as the Kulluk disaster unfolded. On Tuesday, investigators from the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), the federal Bureau of Safety and Environmental Engineering, the Marshall Islands (flag state of the Kulluk) and lawyers had a chance to follow up on Monday's testimony.
The Coast Guard investigation, led by Cmdr. Josh McTaggart is in the process of conducting a marine casualty hearing on the Kulluk. The group hopes to uncover what went wrong and, ultimately, who is responsible for the grounding of the conical drilling unit, considered a centerpiece of Shell's Arctic drilling operation.
All Shell drilling off Alaska in 2013 was suspended earlier this year.
Any recommendations will be passed on to Rear Adm. Thomas Ostebo, who will decide whether or not to make changes to regulations or pursue criminal charges.
On Tuesday, Custard elaborated on the process of getting the ship ready to leave Dutch Harbor before crossing the Gulf of Alaska. He noted while weather looked good going into the voyage, the forecast would only be reliable for 48 to 72 hours. After that, it was up to crews and weather monitors to watch the weather "religiously" as the ships moved across the Gulf of Alaska.
Gulf of Alaska crossings common
There were mitigation plans in place to be launched in extreme weather, he noted.
"Vessels routinely operate (in the Gulf of Alaska) 365 days a year," he said. "(In inclement weather) you try to find shelter or go deeper. That's what they had in place."
The boats that responded to escort the Kulluk, a 266-foot diameter drilling rig with no propulsion system of its own, eventually fought the 35-foot seas and 55-knot winds. The crew of the Alert, a Crowley-operated tug escorting the Kulluk and the last vessel attached to the rig, initially attempted to bring the big rig to safe harbor off Kodiak Island. But the Alert crew was told by Unified Command to release the tug when it became evident the tug could not safely hold on any longer.
But before releasing the Kulluk, Unified Command then instructed the Alert to try to maneuver it toward Ocean Bay, a sandy beach on Sitkalidak Island, hoping that the hull holding 138,000 gallons of diesel fuel and other petroleum products would not be breached upon grounding. That proved successful. Despite some breaching of the hull, fuel tanks remained intact and there was no spill.
Successful summer tow
But before investigators had a chance to ask more of Custard, they had questions for Capt. Marc Dial, speaking on behalf of Offshore Rig Movers International. Dial, speaking via phone from Veracruz, Mexico, was in charge of the tow plan for moving the Kulluk from Seattle to Dutch Harbor last June.
Dial told investigators that towing the Kulluk was unique, though not inherently risky.
"It's a unique rig in the world, and therefore it introduces a different (towing) motion," he said. "It's basically like towing a large saucer for a tea cup."
Much of Dial's testimony focused on specific details of the towing operation.
• How much force could the tow-line shackles hold?
• At what percent engine power could the tugboat engines operate safely?
• How would inclement weather impact towing operations?
Dial said he could only speak from the deep homework he did preparing for his June voyage. He talked with other tow masters who've traveled the route, inspected the vessels and did his homework preparing for the weather. June was the first time the Aiviq, a new ship owned by Shell and operated by Noble, had been used to tow the Kulluk.
By all accounts, the June tow operation was a success. Dial repeatedly referred to weather in the region as "benign" that time of year.
When McTaggart asked Dial specifically what could have been done to prevent the grounding, Dial demurred. "I have received no documentation with regards to this incident," he said. "I have no knowledge of it whatsoever. No photos, no testimony. I'm kind of a mushroom here -- I'm not qualified to give an opinion on it, to be honest."
Contact Suzanna Caldwell at suzanna(at)alaskadispatch.com