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DISASTER
AT BOMBAY HIGH
A
major fire broke out on Bombay High North ("BHN") one of
the Oil and Natural Gas Corporation's ("ONGC") offshore
oil-drilling platforms at Bombay High, on Wednesday, July 27,
2005. Bombay High, India's largest offshore oil field discovered
in the Gulf of Cambay in 1965, produces 14 per cent of India's
oil requirements and accounts for 38 per cent of all domestic
production amounting to approximately 260,000 barrels of oil every
day.
The
disaster occurred when ONGC's multi-purpose vessel Samudra Suraksha
(the "MPV") lost control while engaging in a medical evacuation
operation. The MPV collided with BHN and instantly damaged the
oil and gas lines setting off an inferno. The MPV and BHN were
consumed by the conflagration in less than two hours. As of the
time of this update, up to 14 personnel are feared dead even as
search and rescue operations are underway.
The
resultant oil spill from BHN has extended to 10 nautical miles
in the easterly direction towards Mumbai. The oil spill, aggravated
by rough seas caused by unprecedented torrential rains in the
region, is in danger of spreading fast. Measures to neutralize
the spill are presently in progress.
BHN
is insured for a sum of $ 195 million and the MPV is insured for
$60 million. A detailed damage assessment has estimated that restoring
a new platform in place of BHN would cost about $ 300 million.
The Government of India has set up a three-member committee headed
by former ONGC Chairman, S.K. Manglik, to probe the cause of the
fire. According to the Government, the aforementioned committee
would be assisted in its investigation by Royal Dutch Shell.
The
immediate impact of the disaster is the loss of crude oil production
of 110, 000 barrels per day. According to the Union Minister for
Petroleum, Mani Shankar Aiyar, 70% of the production loss due
to the disaster should be restored within the next four weeks.
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You
can direct your queries or comments to the authors
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Source:
The
Hindu, dated July 29, 2005
The
Deccan Herald, dated July 29, 2005
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