Shell Oil is still doing work in the Alaskan Arctic this summer, despite cancelling its drilling season in the wake of disasters that left both its rigs inoperable.

As KTUU-TV first reported, the company is mapping the Chukchi seafloor for ice gouges -- distinctive markings left by massive chunks of ice scraping across the bottom of the ocean. Knowing the location of ice gouges and their depth is important if Shell ever wants to build a pipeline from its oil prospects to shore.

The work is being done by the icebreaker Fennica, which passed through Unalaska on its way to the Arctic earlier this month. According to plans filed with the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, the Fennica is using multiple types of sonar to profile the seafloor and sub-bottom, including towed arrays and air guns.

The survey is scheduled to last through October, the end of the open-water season in the Chukchi Sea. It’s not the first year that Shell has done similar surveys, although industry observers may see it as a sign that the company isn’t giving up on the Arctic, despite its disastrous first season in the far north.