ANCHORAGE, Alaska —
Shell Oil says it has begun exploratory drilling in the Beaufort Sea off
Alaska's north coast as it continues to drill in the neighboring Chukchi
Sea.
Shell Alaska spokesman Curtis Smith says Beaufort drilling started
Wednesday after the end of an Alaska Native whale hunt.
Smith says the
company hopes to drill until the seasonal Oct. 31 deadline.
Shell
announced last month it would limit drilling this year to non-petroleum
zones.
The company can't drill into those zones until its spill response
barge is in place, and Smith says that won't happen this year.
A
containment dome on the barge was damaged in tests last month.
Royal
Dutch Shell PLC has spent $4.5 billion on Arctic offshore drilling, moving ahead
in spurts to overcome court challenges and scrutiny.