The revival plans

RESTORATION of full production in the Mumbai High field will require replacement of the lost platform, the Bombay High North (BHN). According to ONGC officials, the work can be taken up at the earliest in the working season of the post-monsoon period next year, allowing time for tendering, contracting, fabrication, transit, installation and commissioning.

Before the July 27 accident, the average production of oil from the entire field was 2,65,000 barrels a day and gas production was 10.5 million cubic metres a day. Oil and gas production have since come down to about 1,42,000 barrels a day and 6.1 million cubic metres a day.

The ONGC plans to undertake sub-sea work during the monsoon in its effort to use alternative routes to restart the flow of crude from the closed wells. Once this work is undertaken, oil production is expected to increase to 2,15,000 barrels a day and gas production to 9.0 million cubic metres a day by August-end.

According to Subir Raha, Chairman and Managing Director of ONGC, the BHN was insured for $195 million and the multi-purpose support vessel Samudra Suraksha for $60 million. "These insurances are a part of our offshore package insurance covering assets worth more than $12 billion," he said.

This is not the first fire on an offshore ONGC facility. On July 30, 1982, a well in the Mumbai High flared up when the ONGC-owned Sagar Vikas rig was drilling. There was an uncontrolled flow of gas with oil at a depth of 1,660 metres. It was believed that the fire could have broken out when rock chips smashed against the metal of the well and ignited sparks. Seventy-four ONGC personnel on board the Sagar Vikas were evacuated by helicopters. The rig was written-off. The well was capped 42 days later after the fire was extinguished.

A blowout occurred at the ONGC's well No.19 near Pasarlapudi in East Godavari district of Andhra Pradesh, on January 8, 1995. Neal Adams of Neal Adams Firefighters, specialists in oil wells blowout control, had then said it was one of the biggest fires they had tackled. The well was capped on March 14, 62 days after the blowout had occurred.