Rig 26 spill cleanup near Nuiqsut enters final phase as samples go to lab

Doyon Drilling says cleanup at the tundra site where its Rig 26 toppled 6.5 miles northwest of Nuiqsut has entered its final phase, with soil and surface water samples now at a state-approved laboratory for analysis. The assessment comes from the company's own incident information hub, not an independent state filing.

"The response to the 2026 Western North Slope Rig Move Incident (WNSRMI) continues in Phase 3 (the final phase) with a focus on containment and monitoring," Doyon's hub said, current as of Sept. 3. The rig and all heavy equipment were removed before summer, and a third-party Qualified Environmental Professional, an outside environmental specialist, completed field characterization sampling under a Sampling and Analysis Plan the Unified Command, the joint agency and company body directing the response, approved in August. Doyon also plans to bring in a separate third-party firm to investigate the accident's cause.

The self-propelled drilling module left a gravel road and toppled onto snow-covered tundra on Jan. 23 at 4:40 p.m., according to the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation, which estimated the release at about 4,000 gallons of diesel and 600 gallons of hydraulic oil. Eight personnel sustained minor injuries and were treated and released.

The site sits less than 500 feet from a tributary to the Nechelik (Nigliq) Channel of the Colville River, inside critical polar bear habitat and habitat for caribou, Arctic fox, muskox and ptarmigan. By Feb. 4, crews had recovered roughly 111 gallons of product behind sandbags, a snow fence and an ice trail. DEC named Doyon Drilling, Inc. the potential responsible party, the party it looks to for the response.

The most recent DEC situation report located for this article is Situation Report 3, distributed Feb. 4, which recorded no ongoing leaks. The state logs the spill as number 26399902301. No agency filing since then independently confirms the current phase, the sampling, or the equipment removal Doyon describes.

North Slope Borough planning documents record Nuiqsut residents' concerns about freshwater security and habitat damage from nearby oil development.

Lab results will determine whether further cleanup is required.