Although efforts to place salvage experts onto the deck of the drill rig Kulluk has been hampered for the last couple of days, today a Coast Guard helicopter was successful in lowering a team to the rig.

The team of five salvage experts made it on board the Kulluk about 10:30am Wednesday morning. While on board, the team conducted a structural assessment to be used to finalize salvage plans, currently being developed by the Kulluk Tow Incident Unified Command.

Smit Salvage, a highly experienced salvage company that has assisted in hundreds of operations world-wide, will be heading up the salvage operations for the Kulluk. Smit assisted in the salvage operations of the Selendang Ayu that took place in 2004 off of the coast of western Unalaska. One of the most recent salvage operations that the company took part in was the salvage of the Costa Concordia off of the coast of Italy last year.

The information gleaned from the on-site assessment done today will be utilized to evaluate the available options for freeing the drill rig from its position near Ocean Bay.

After a three hour evaluation, the team was hoisted back aboard a helicopter at 1:30 pm and returned to Coast Guard Air Station Kodiak.

Video: A Coast Guard MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter delivers an emergency towing system to the salvage team on the deck of the conical drilling unit Kulluk 40 miles southwest of Kodiak City, Alaska, Wednesday, Jan. 2, 2013. The Kulluk is aground on the southeast shore of Sitkalidak Island. U.S. Coast Guard video by Petty Officer 1st Class Travis Marsh.

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