Shell says ship carrying key Arctic drilling response gear will head to West Coast for repair

A Royal Dutch Shell PLC ship carrying required blowout response equipment for Arctic offshore drilling will be sent to a West Coast shipyard for repairs.

Shell spokesman Curtis Smith says the 380-foot icebreaker Fennica (FEN'-i-cah) will transit from Dutch Harbor, Alaska, to Portland, Oregon, for repairs.

Smith says the company's 2015 drilling schedule should not be interrupted.

The hull of the Fennica was gashed July 3 by an uncharted object as it departed for the Chukchi (chuk-CHEE') Sea off Alaska's northwest coast.

The Fennica's primary mission for Shell is carrying a capping stack, which could be lowered onto a wellhead to stop a blowout.

Smith says Shell drill rigs can begin top-hole work and the Fennica will not be needed until August.