Crews Remove 58% of Toppled North Slope Rig, Recover 2,585 Gallons of Waste

Doyon Drilling's Doyon 26, the massive rig nicknamed "The Beast" that toppled onto tundra about 6.5 miles northwest of Nuiqsut on Jan. 23, is now 58% deconstructed and removed from the site, the company reported March 12, with response crews having pulled roughly 2,585 gallons of waste from ground that sits within critical habitat for polar bears, caribou, and Arctic foxes.

The latest progress marks a significant jump from the roughly 30% deconstruction reported as of Feb. 19. Crews are now working through the rig's substructure, which Doyon described as the most complex and labor-intensive portion of the job. The nearly 10-million-pound rig was being transported for ConocoPhillips operations when it tipped over on a gravel road, spilling an estimated 4,000 gallons of diesel and 600 gallons of hydraulic oil onto the tundra and triggering a brief fire that emergency responders quickly contained. Eight individuals received treatment at nearby clinics following the incident, with no serious injuries reported.

Doyon's current estimate puts the total spill volume at 4,735 gallons, revised upward from an earlier figure of approximately 4,600 gallons. The 2,585 gallons recovered includes an additional 110 gallons of diesel pulled from within the rig's structure during the most recent phase of work. Crews also removed 41 gallons of unspilled ethylene glycol from the coolant system, which Doyon said accounted for all glycol present on the rig.

The response has proceeded in phases under a Unified Command that includes Doyon Drilling, Inc., the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation, the North Slope Borough, and the Iñupiat Community of the Arctic Slope. Phase 1 covered initial containment and planning. Phase 2, now underway, involves disassembly, removal of remaining fluids and debris, and transporting salvage off site. To protect the tundra during that transport, crews constructed a dedicated ice road and pad to move deconstructed components, which will be initially decontaminated on site before being hauled elsewhere for additional cleaning and recycling.

The early response in February included delineating the spill area through visual, infrared, and aerial surveys, deploying sandbags to limit contamination spread, and erecting a snow fence to contain contaminated snow. By Feb. 4, when the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation issued its third situation report, crews had recovered just 111 gallons through water flushing and vacuum trucks. That figure climbed to more than 2,475 gallons by Feb. 19 before reaching the current total.

Phase 3 will cover final cleanup and remediation, with monitoring planned through spring breakup and a summer site visit to evaluate what additional tactics the tundra requires. Doyon said ongoing monitoring shows no immediate risk to Nuiqsut's community infrastructure, air quality, drinking water sources, nearby waterways, traffic, or wildlife. A third party has been hired to investigate the cause of the overturn, and safety evaluations are continuing throughout the deconstruction work.