“ONGC overhauls damages caused by Cyclone #Tauktae in offshore installations on Arabian Sea. 100 platforms (76 unmanned, 24 process platform jackets) restored, using 1052 tons of Indigenously-sourced materials,” ONGC said in a tweet. Western offshore produces bulk of India’s oil and natural gas.New Delhi: State-ownedOil and Natural Gas Corporation(ONGC) has repaired 100 offshore installations in the Arabian Sea that were damaged byCyclone Tauktaea year ago, the company said. Western offshore was hit by the cycloneTauktaeduring May 16-17, 2021. On May 17, 2021, Barge P-305, deployed by Afcons for work it was doing for ONGC, lost all anchors and hit a wellhead platform after drifting.
The sinking of Afcons’ Barge P-305 and a tug boat Varaprada killed 86 persons.
“ONGC overhauls damages caused by Cyclone #Tauktae in offshore installations on Arabian Sea. 100 platforms (76 unmanned, 24 process platform jackets) restored, using 1052 tons of Indigenously-sourced materials,” ONGC said in a tweet. Western offshore produces bulk of India’s oil and natural gas.
ONGC has 14 process platforms, 2 floating production and storage (FPSO) units, one floating storage and offloading (FSO) and 229 unmanned platforms, 25 drilling rigs and 50 offshore vessels.
To support offshore project works, 22 barges were deployed.
Following the accident, ONGC hired DNV GL Energy India Pvt Ltd, a renowned international safety consultant, for carrying out an assessment of the safety management system in the company. The three-phase project is of 18 months duration and is to be completed by April 6, 2023.
To facilitate single point authority for vessel information and management (VIM) in offshore, Marine Cell has been created at Mumbai headed by Master Mariner with the responsibility of managerial safety of all vessels operated by the company.
Marine Cell will be the single point availability of all information, pre and post deployment of all vessels and monitoring their movement in offshore.
The Cell will ensure sea worthiness of all vessels operating for ONGC, according to a report of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Petroleum and Natural Gas, which looked into the accident.
Also, a tax force has been constituted by ONGC to review required technical specifications of each type of barges/vessels.
Uniform guidelines have been promulgated for issuing risk based advisories during adverse weather conditions. Emergency response plans for offshore rigs and installations have been revised to address such extreme cyclone conditions.
Regional contingency plan has been revised in consultation with regional coordination committee comprising Indian Navy, Air Force and Coast Guard, the report, tabled in Parliament in March, had said.
The panel had asked Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas to conduct thorough investigation to fix responsibility of ONGC officials at various levels in the incident.
It had also felt that the absence of a regular chairman and managing director in ONGC could be a factor in handling the Cyclone Tauktae incident in a “non-serious manner”.
The post of chairman and managing director fell vacant on April 1, 2021. Government headhunter Public Enterprise Selection Board (PESB) did not recommend any candidate after interviewing potential candidates on June 4, 2021. No candidate has been interviewed since then.
“The Ministry should attach utmost seriousness to the filling up of vacancies in oil PSUs in general and particularly ONGC in this case, take advance action to complete the exercise well before the incumbent completes the tenure,” the report had stated.
