Fennica Grounding Caused by Inaccurate Charts

The July 2015 grounding of icebreaker Fennica near Dutch Harbor, Alaska was found to be caused by inaccuracy of nautical charts in the area, according to the U.S. Coast Guard’s Report of Investigation (ROI).

The Finnish multipurpose icebreaker, owned by Arctia Offshore, was carrying the capping stack for Shell’s planned arctic drilling when it ran aground and suffered a gash in its hull on July 2, 2015. The event did not cause any injuries or damage to the environment.

Though a marine pilot was on board the vessel at the time of the event, the sounding data of the area in use was from 1935. A hydrographic survey has since been conducted, and the charts have been updated.

Shell’s search for oil in the Arctic was shelved in September 2015 after the company spent approximately $7 billion on exploration in the waters off Alaska.