Alaskan drill ship evacuated, stable

— All 18 crew members were safely evacuated Saturday from a Shell drill ship in the Gulf of Alaska and the company was towing the rig farther from land in anticipation of another stormy night.

The drill ship, the Kulluk, which had been drifting toward Trinity Islands, was being moved toward safe harbor by two tow vessels, Shell spokesman Curtis Smith said.

Repair crews have restarted all four engines on the Aiviq, one of the tow vessels, and a second tow line was stretched Saturday from the Nanuq to the Kulluk, Smith said.

The two tow lines have helped stabilize the drill ship, but the company and the U.S. Coast Guard decided not to take any chances with the weather and evacuated the crew Saturday afternoon.

Front Section, Pages 3 on 12/31/2012

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