Shell oil rig has been towed to safety

Shell oil rig has been towed to safety after running aground on New Year's Eve, although thankfully it has been reported that there was no spillage and no apparent damage.

The oil rig was found on a shore near an Alaskan island, where it was towed to safety nearby.

The rig was carrying a huge 155,000 gallons (590,000 litres) of oil products, which, had it have leaked, could have been incredibly dangerous to inhabitants and sea creatures in the area.

Unfortunately, before the incident, the oil rig was incredibly close to its final destination of Seattle.

It was returning from the Beaufort Sea when the towing vessel lost its power.

Reuters has reported that the rig, named the Kulluk, may have lost its power owing to turbulent weather in the area.

Indeed, the National Weather Service had issued a weather warning on the Sunday night, forecasting rain, snow and winds of between 15 and 30 miles an hour - a difficult challenge for the Kulluk.

It is unsure whether or not the Kulluk will be able to travel in the sea again or whether the damage to the rig will be too vast.

However, it is thought that only one area has damage and only one area where seawater leaked onboard.

The US Coast Guard and Royal Dutch Shell Plc are to assess the rig and give a decision within the next few days.

Shell has had other problems with their oil rigs before, one of which was the Discoverer, which failed to meet federal air standards back in June.

Martin Padilla, incident commander for the Kulluk responders, told Reuters they would "continue to remain cautious while we assess the Kulluk's condition".

"We will not move forward to the next phase until we are confident that we can safely transport the vessel."