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The Anglo-Dutch oil major is preparing "an
armada of 25 vessels" to begin a two-year program to explore two
to three wells in the Chukchi Sea off the coast of Alaska, Chief
Financial Officer Simon Henry said on Thursday.
"We are currently on track. Some of the permits are issued at
the last moment," he told reporters.
Although Shell had to pull out of the region in 2012 after an
oil rig ran aground, the Arctic oil reserve "remains a massive
value opportunity," Simon said.
Shell has submitted plans to explore the Arctic to the U.S.
Interior Department after the Obama administration last month
upheld a 2008 Arctic lease sale, clearing an important hurdle
for Shell.
The Department of the Interior will now consider the company's
drilling plan, which could take 30 days.
Shell has lined up the necessary equipment and vessels to deal
with any mishaps, which Henry said are of a "very low
probability".
Environmental organizations fear that an oil spill would be
destructive for an ecologically sensitive region and extremely
hard to clean up in a remote area with rough and frigid seas.
(Editing by Keith Weir)
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