OREANDA-NEWS. Shell could get regulatory approval as early as this week to begin drilling into the oil-bearing zone of an exploratory well in the Chukchi sea off the north coast of Alaska.

Shell on 6 August asked the Interior Department's Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE) to modify a permit that only allowed for drilling the top portion of up to two exploratory wells. The permit prevented drilling into oil-bearing parts of the formation because the icebreaker MV Fennica, which is carrying the capping stack that would collect oil during a blowout, was undergoing repairs in Oregon.

The MV Fennica is now repaired and expected to arrive on the drilling site today, Shell said. The arrival of the icebreaker, which was damaged last month when it struck an uncharted shoal, will satisfy a requirement in the company's federally-approved drilling plans to have its capping stack available within 24 hours when working or drilling in zones that contain hydrocarbons.

BSEE said it was reviewing Shell's request for a modified permit and would publish its response in the "very near future," potentially before the end of the week. The agency declined to provide a copy of the permit request because it needs to be redacted.

The Transocean drilling rig Polar Pioneer on 30 July began drilling the top portion of the Burger J well. Shell today said drilling "is proceeding without incident."

Shell is permitted drill up to two wells in the Burger prospect before the arctic drilling season closes on 28 September, but the company faced a setback when federal regulators prevented the company from simultaneously drilling the two wells because of environmental concerns.