Shell pauses drilling after winds, waves batter Alaska’s north coast

ANCHORAGE — Strong winds and high waves that pounded the northern coast of Alaska have led Royal Dutch Shell PLC to temporarily stop exploratory oil drilling in the Arctic Ocean.

“Due to high wind and sea states, we have paused all critical operations in the Chukchi Sea,” said spokesman Curtis Smith.

The Chukchi Sea experienced gale-force winds, said Ed Townsend, forecaster for the National Weather Service in Fairbanks.

Smith said he isn’t sure when drilling might resume. “We hope to resume normal operations as soon as it’s safe to do so,” he said.

The Polar Pioneer, a semisubmersible drilling unit that Shell leases from Transocean Ltd., began top-hole and drilling work July 30 and remains safely anchored at the drill site, Smith said.

Bad weather has postponed previous drilling operations, Smith said, and Shell plans for it. Weather affected drilling in both the Chukchi and Beaufort seas in 2012.

“It’s why we use a combination of satellite images, sonar and on-site reconnaissance to inform our operations,” he said. “With safety the first priority, we take a conservative approach to these weather events and make plans to curtail operations well in advance.”

Arctic offshore drilling is strongly opposed by environmental groups that say oil companies have not demonstrated the ability to respond effectively to a spill in harsh conditions where floating ice could hamper cleanup operations. “Imagine trying to respond to a spill in that kind of weather,” said Pam Miller, a longtime Arctic researcher and environmental advocate in Fairbanks.

Halting drilling for severe weather or moving ice was a common occurrence for Shell drilling in 1989 and 1990, she said. Global warming’s effect on sea ice, which formerly acted like a blanket over waves, adds to the risk.

“The waves may be even greater. We know they are along shore, where erosion is a problem,” she said.

Every time a drill rigs disconnects from a well for weather or ice moving in, she said, it adds to the risk of a spill.