"Two massive Shell Oil Co. drilling rigs left a Seattle dock early Wednesday, starting the long trek to Alaska's Arctic waters and leaving behind years of legal battles and regulatory hurdles in a quest for riches under the sea."
"With little drama, the Kulluk -- a 29-year-old conical Arctic drilling rig that spent a dozen years mothballed in Canada -- launched for Dutch Harbor, a supply stop on the way to the far north, just before 8 a.m. Seattle time. The Noble Discoverer -- a 1960s-era vessel used as a log carrier before being converted for drilling -- was right behind, said Curtis Smith, an Anchorage-based Shell spokesman in Seattle for the sendoff.
The U.S. Coast Guard was to escort the Shell ships as far as Port Angeles, Smith said."
Lisa Demer reports for the Anchorage Daily News June 28, 2012.
SEE ALSO:
"Shell Faces Pushback As Alaska Drilling Nears" (NPR)
"Shell Is Likely to Receive Permits for Oil Drilling Off Alaska" (New York Times)
"Oil Exploration in Alaskan Arctic Brings Lots of Noise To Whales' Domain" (McClatchy)
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