"U.S. federal prosecutors have been asked to take legal action over safety and environmental violations discovered on one of two drillships Royal Dutch Shell used last year in Arctic waters off Alaska, officials said on Monday."

"The violations were discovered in November by Coast Guard inspectors on the Noble Discoverer, a drillship contracted from Noble Corp to work on Shell leases in the remote Chukchi Sea off northwestern Alaska.

Coast Guard Chief Petty Officer Kip Wadlow said the Justice Department was now in charge of any potential sanctions against Shell or Noble, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Kevin Feldis confirmed it was now in the department's hands."

Yereth Rosen reports for Reuters February 25, 2013. [2]