Shell drilling rig refloated off Alaska in recovery bid

A recovery team has refloated the Shell oil drilling rig that ran aground last week near an Alaskan island, and began towing it yesterday towards a more sheltered position 30 miles away.

The saucer-shaped Kulluk drillship was refloated overnight.

Weather in the area remains a challenge, with a warning of rain, snow and winds of between 15 and 30 miles an hour.

The US Coast Guard and Royal Dutch Shell hope the rig can be towed from its grounding site on the coast of tiny Sitkalidak Island to a sheltered bay nearby, so that experts can make a better assessment of its seaworthiness.