"Coast Guard Blasts Shell for Ignoring Risks Over Arctic Rig in 2012"

"SEATTLE — A Coast Guard investigation into the 2012 grounding of the Kulluk, an offshore drilling rig operated by Royal Dutch Shell in the harsh Arctic, blasted the oil company for legal violations, poor management and taking undue risks, according to the final report released Thursday.

The Kulluk ran aground 15 months ago on New Year's Eve after breaking free of its tow lines during severe weather and was beached for several days on a remote, rocky shore in southern Alaska.

Although the company has invested an estimated $5 billion in recent years in offshore oil exploration in the Alaskan Arctic, the Kulluk's problems were among the difficulties that kept Shell from offshore drilling in 2013 and forced the company to abandon any renewed drilling efforts this year."

Maria L. La Ganga reports for the Los Angeles Times Los Angeles Times April 3, 2014.