Kulluk

Kulluk was an ice-strengthened drill barge that was used for oil exploration in the Arctic waters. She was constructed by Mitsui Engineering & Shipbuilding in Japan in 1983 and operated in the Canadian Arctic until 1993 when she was mothballed for over a decade. In 2005, she was purchased and extensively refurbished by Shell PLC for drilling off the Alaska North Slope. On 31 December 2012, Kulluk drifted aground after the towing line to the icebreaking anchor handling tug supply vessel Aiviq parted in heavy weather. While the rig was recovered, it was irreparable and was scrapped in March 2014.