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Arctic Drilling
6:39 am
Fri December 14, 2012

Shell Ready To Try Again With Rebuilt Oil-Spill Dome

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Credit T.J. Guiton
The Garth Foss tug and Shell's Arctic Challenger barge in Bellingham Bay
Credit marinetraffic.com
White triangles show the path of Shell's Arctic Titan tug as it accompanied the Arctic Challenger to its test site (then returned to Bellingham).
Credit marinetraffic.com
The path of Shell's Arctic Titan tug, hard at work with the Arctic Challenger at its field-testing location off the tip of Samish Island, Wash.
Damaged oil-spill containment dome
Credit BSEE (via KUOW FOIA request)
The Arctic Challenger's containment dome, crumpled after its September field test in Puget Sound
Credit T.J. Guiton
Shell contractors at the Bellingham Shipping Terminal repair and upgrade the containment dome in November
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The Arctic Challenger left Puget Sound's Bellingham Bay Wednesday night and arrived at a deep-water anchorage near Anacortes, Wash., Thursday morning. The barge is part of Shell Oil’s fleet of vessels aimed at exploring the Arctic Ocean for oil.

The Arctic Challenger’s oil-spill containment system failed its first field test off Anacortes in September. Since then, Shell has rebuilt a 20-foot oil-containment dome that was “crushed like a beer can” in the first test.

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Freedom Of Information
6:15 pm
Wed December 5, 2012

UPDATE: Congressman Seeks Answers In Arctic Oil-Spill Gear's Failure

Credit BSEE (via KUOW FOIA request)
The Shell Oil's oil-spill containment dome, crumpled after a field test in Puget Sound
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A KUOW investigation has led a top congressman to demand answers about Shell Oil's underwater accident this fall in Puget Sound.

As we reported on Friday, an underwater test near Anacortes left Shell's first-of-its-kind oil-spill equipment “crushed like a beer can.”

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Energy
6:52 am
Fri November 30, 2012

Sea Trial Leaves Shell's Arctic Oil-Spill Gear "Crushed Like A Beer Can"

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Damaged oil-spill containment dome
Credit BSEE (via KUOW FOIA request)
The Arctic Challenger's containment dome, crumpled after a field test in Puget Sound
Credit John Ryan (left); T.J. Guiton (right)
The Arctic Challenger containment dome before (left) and after (right) a failed sea trial.
Credit T.J. Guiton
Shell contractors at the Bellingham Shipping Terminal repair and upgrade the containment dome.
Credit Shell Oil animation; full video at: http://tinyurl.com/cj4vre5
Illustration of the Arctic Challenger's Remotely Operated Vehicle being lowered into the sea. The real ROV got tangled in anchor lines during a field test.
Credit Shell Oil animation; full video at: http://tinyurl.com/cj4vre5
In addition to the containment dome, Shell's Arctic oil-spill response plans include using drilling mud, shear rams and a capping stack to block the flow of oil from a blowout and fire and chemical dispersants for oil that reaches the surface.
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UPDATE on Congressional interest in this story here.

Shell Oil has been building and testing equipment designed for the Arctic Ocean here in Puget Sound. In September, a key test of underwater oil-spill equipment was a spectacular failure.

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Environment
9:20 am
Wed November 28, 2012

Acidifying Water Takes Toll On Northwest Shellfish

Credit Katie Campbell
Taylor Shellfish crews haul out oysters from Samish Bay that had been picked the night before. The Northwest's shellfish industry is one of the first to feel the impacts of ocean acidification.
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Rescuing shellfish from the rising acidity in Puget Sound will require a wide-ranging response: everything from curbing greenhouse gases and controlling water pollution to growing more seaweed and putting restaurant-discarded oyster shells into shallow bays. Those are among the recommendations in a long-awaited report on ocean acidification that was delivered today to Washington Gov. Chris Gregoire by a blue-ribbon panel.

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