Ice delays Shell Alaska drilling

Heavy: Sea ice in the Chukchi and Beaufort Seas delays Shell project.

Reuters

related stories

News Wires

 09 July 2012 02:11 GMT

Heavier than expected ice in Arctic waters off Alaska will likely delay until August Shell's long-anticipated exploration drilling in the Chukchi and Beaufort Seas, a company spokesman said on Friday.

Shell, which wants to search for oil in what are considered remote but promising frontiers, had planned to start the wells this month, said Curtis Smith, a company spokesman in Anchorage.

Sea ice is "the number one reason we won't be drilling in July," Smith told Reuters. "At this point, we're looking at the first week of August."

While sea ice cover is sparse in most of the Arctic, ice off Alaska is thicker than in recent years, and that ice is melting fast, according to the US National Snow and Ice Data…

Become an Upstream member!

Membership includes a subscription to our weekly newspaper providing in-depth news from the energy industry, plus full-access to this site and its archives. Still not convinced? Try our free trial.

Already a member?

Login

Upstream share price index