A massive oil rig used by oil giant Shell for test drilling off the Alaska coastline remained stranded off an uninhabited island Wednesday after running ashore Monday night in extreme storm conditions, dpa reported. The incident has refocused attention on the dangers of drilling in the pristine but challenging environment of Arctic Alaska as oil companies eye the region's massive resources. The Kulluk, an 81-metre diameter rig was carrying some 540,000 litres of diesel and 45,000 litres of lubrication oil but there so far have been no signs of any leaks, according to Darci Sinclair, spokesperson for the incident's unified command led by the US Coast Guard. "The Coast Guard did two flyovers and both times were able to confirm that there were still no signs of oil leaks," she told dpa Wednesday. "The Kulluk is upright and stable. When it's safe to do so and weather permits we will put a salvage assessment crew on board and at that point we will be able to develop a salvage plan." The Kulluk was being towed to Seattle for maintenance when lines to its two tug boats disengaged in heavy weather Monday night. Crews battled for hours to reconnect the massive drilling rig, but eventually decided to allow the rig to run aground on the east coast of the uninhabited island of Sitkalidak, in the gulf of Alaska.
