WASHINGTON, Aug 17 (Reuters) - The Obama administration on Monday granted Royal Dutch Shell the final permit to drill for oil and gas in the Arctic, after the company repaired a ship essential to its exploration in the region this season.

The Interior Department gave Shell the final permit to drill into the oil zone in the Chukchi Sea off northern Alaska after the Fennica, an icebreaker the company leases that carries emergency well-plugging equipment, was sent to Oregon to repair a gash in its hull.

The permit was expected as the department had previously approved Shell's exploration program before the Fennica hit uncharted shoals in southern Alaska. (Reporting by Timothy Gardner; Editing by Sandra Maler)

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