Aiviq

Kulluk aground on the southeast side of Sitkalidak Island, Alaska, on 1 January 2013.

On 27 December 2012, while Aiviq was towing the mobile offshore drilling unit Kulluk off the coast of Kodiak Island, Alaska, the towing line between the icebreaker and the drilling rig parted due to a mechanical failure of the towing shackle.[17] Shortly after the tow had been regained, the main engines of Aiviq failed and the vessel lost propulsion power in 20-foot (6 m) seas. In the following morning, power was successfully restored on one of the four main engines and the vessel was able to hold position in the heavy weather.[18] United States Coast Guard cutter USCGC Alex Haley was dispatched to the scene to monitor the situation.[19] In response to the incident, the Coast Guard, Shell and Edison Chouest established a Unified Command to coordinate the operation.[20] Shell-contracted vessels Guardsman and Nanuq were also en route to the scene.[18]

On 29 December, the Unified Command authorized the drilling rig to drop its anchor to slow its drift towards the coast and ordered the Coast Guard to evacuate the 18 crew members on Kulluk by helicopter as a precaution.[21][22] Sikorsky HH-60 Jayhawk helicopters operated by the Coast Guard also delivered essential equipment parts to Aiviq and later power was restored on all four engines. Together with Nanuq, Aiviq was able to hold the drilling rig stationary during the crew evacuation and later continue towing the vessel away from the coast.[23][24]

On 30 December, the tow lines of Aiviq and Nanuq parted again, and Kulluk began drifting towards the coast. Another tugboat, the 10,000-horsepower Alert operated by Crowley Marine Services,[25] also arrived to the scene from Prince William Sound.[26] Shortly after midnight, Alert was able to secure connection to the 400-foot (120 m) towing line previously used by Aiviq and later in the morning the icebreaker had also reconnected to Kulluk about 19 nautical miles (35 km; 22 mi) southeast from Kodiak Island.[27] USCGC Alex Haley also returned to the scene from Kodiak, where the cutter had repaired her fouled port propeller, and relieved the crew of USCGC Spar as on scene commander. The helicopter crews were also preparing to deploy several technicians aboard the drilling rig to evaluate the condition of the towing lines.[28]

Later in the evening, Kulluk was again set adrift after the Coast Guard ordered Alert to separate from the rig, now only 4 nautical miles (7.4 km; 4.6 mi) from the nearest point of land, to maintain the safety of the nine crew members on board the tug in nearly 30-foot (9.1 m) seas.[28][29] Only moments later, Kulluk was grounded near the uninhabited Sitkalidak Island at a depth of about 32–48 feet (9.8–14.6 m).[30]

The salvage operation was awarded to the Dutch salvage company Smit International.[31] A team of five salvage experts boarded Kulluk on 2 January 2013 to assess the structural integrity of the grounded drilling barge.[31] On 3 January, it was reported that Kulluk had suffered damage since the grounding but its structural integrity had not been compromised and there have been no leaks from the rig's fuel tanks.[32] At the time of the grounding, Kulluk was carrying 139,000 gallons of diesel fuel and 12,000 gallons of lubricating and hydraulic oil.[33] By 4 January, 14 vessels had been mobilized for the recovery operation and the United States Department of Defense provided two Boeing CH-47 Chinook helicopters to transport heavy salvage gear to the site.[34]

Kulluk was successfully refloated on 6 January and towed to a sheltered location in Kiliuda Bay, some 30 nautical miles (56 km; 35 mi) from the original grounding location, on the following day.[35][36] After the rig was brought to a shipyard in Singapore on board a heavy-lift vessel, Shell decided not to repair the damages and sold the drilling unit for recycling in China.[37]

In the investigation report published by the United States Coast Guard on 2 April 2014, the initiating event to the casualty was identified as the failure of a 120-ton apex shackle which was considered undersized for towing Kulluk in such environmental conditions. The 90-feet catenary surge chain used to damp shock loads in the towing line was also deemed insufficient. According to the Coast Guard, the "numerous and compounding preconditions" that led to the casualty also included various operational issues such as the towing plans that were not adequate for the winter towing operation crossing the Gulf of Alaska and the crew's lack of towing experience in the Gulf of Alaska waters particularly during the wintertime.[38]

In the same report, it was also concluded that the likely cause for Aiviq's loss of main engine power was sea water in the fuel oil. After the casualty, sea water contamination was found in settling tanks, day tanks, main engine primary filters and main engine injectors. The design of the vessel allowed considerable amount of sea water to enter the stern deck and subsequently to the fuel oil tanks through overflow vents in heavy weather. There were also problems with fuel management practices onboard Aiviq.[38]

Kulluk's movement south for the winter was at least in part motivated by an effort to avoid State of Alaska property taxes on oil and gas extraction equipment.[39]

On 14 May 2015, US Congressman Duncan Hunter of California, began advocating for the acquisition of Aiviq by the US Coast Guard (USCG) due to an availability gap caused by USCG's deactivation of the icebreaker USCGC Polar Sea.[40] USCG repeatedly turned down Hunter's continued proposals, citing the vessel's unsuitability for military operations and being less-capable than USCGC Healy, with Coast Guard Admiral Charles Michel stating Aiviq is "Not suitable for military service without substantial refit. [...] We have very specific requirements for our vessels, including international law requirements for assertion of things like navigation rights. This vessel does not just break ice."[40][41]

Controversy arose after it was published that Congressman Hunter had received campaign funding from Aiviq's owner, Edison Chouest Offshore, and contributors connected to the owner, six days before initially advocating the vessel's sale to USCG.[42] Edison Chouest's contributions to Hunter have made them the congressman's second largest donor.[43] The company's donations came as Congressman Hunter was under investigation for misuse of campaign funds.[44] On 12 July 2016, Hunter's advocacy for the vessel's acquisition was joined by US Congressman Don Young of Alaska.[45] Aiviq's owner was Congressman Young's largest campaign donor at that time.[46]

Congressman Hunter's office estimated it would cost US$33 million a year to lease, or US$150 million to buy Aiviq outright.[47][48]

Since 2016, Davie Shipbuilding has offered Aiviq together with other out-of-work offshore icebreakers to the Canadian Coast Guard as a replacement for CCGS Louis S. St-Laurent.[49] However, recent reports indicate that the Canadian Coast Guard is not interested in the vessel.[50] In June 2018, it was announced that the Canadian government ended up partnering with Davie Shipbuilding, but using three ships from Viking Supply Ships.[51]

After years of lay-up, Aiviq was chartered by Australian Antarctic Division to support Davis Station refueling and other Antarctic missions during the 2021–2022 season.[52]