Anglo-Dutch oil giant Shell has halted plans to drill for oil off Alaska this year because a containment dome to cap any spills has been damaged, the company said on Monday.

The time needed to repair the dome means Shell will not have enough time to drill deep enough to find oil this year, the company said in a statement.
Instead, Shell will drill a number of shallow holes which will be capped in preparation for next year’s test drilling.
‘We are disappointed the dome has not yet met our stringent acceptance standards, but as we have said all along, we will not conduct any operation until we are satisfied we are fully prepared to do it safely,’ the statement said.
According to Bloomberg, Shell has invested $4.5bn in the offshore leases and equipment, and fought at least 50 lawsuits from environmental groups who are opposed to any drilling in Arctic waters.
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