Unalaska, AK – Last night, the Kulluk mobile drill rig was brought to its new home. The Shell oil rig has been anchored in Captains Bay for over three months, and in the meantime Offshore Systems Inc has been working to build a new dock that is custom-fitted for the rig.

While a few finishing touches remain, the dock was deemed ready for the Kulluk on December 5. The Gyrfalcon and Michael Leary brought the Kulluk to the dock at 2 a.m., with help from the Shell-operated icebreaker Tor Viking II.

The Kulluk is expected to remain at the OSI dock for an indefinite period of time, and the dock is expected to only hold that structure, says OSI facility manager Jared Davis.

"This berth was designed solely for the Kulluk," says Davis. "It's a semi-circle design, so it's not a normal dock so to speak."

Should the Shell arctic drilling program successfully proceed, the Kulluk could be stationed in and out Unalaska for years to come. The Kulluk is a major component of Shell's oil spill response plan and is being kept on hand in the event that a relief well needs to be drilled. If the Kulluk is no longer needed here, the dock could be partially converted to handle some other vessels, but the renovation would be costly.

Davis says that the project has been good for OSI and has meant that they've been able to hire an extra handful of workers.

"Our workload for our current staff has increased quite a bit," says Davis. "I know a lot of the local vendors around town are seeing a huge increase also. Shell's been trying to use local labor for pretty much every aspect that they can."

The oil spill clean-up vessel the Nanuq will also remain in Unalaska through the spring.