New Delhi: A team of Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) engineers, assisted by Indian Navy personnel, successfully plugged a gas leakage on an unmanned offshore platform in Mumbai High South around 180 kilometres from the seashore in the Arabian Sea.A gas leakage was observed in one of the unmanned wellhead platforms, S1-6, in the south field of Mumbai High.
As a safety measure, the platform team immediately initiated all remote actions to shut down the well platform and to bleed off the pressure in the pipelines. Fire-fighting vessels were instantly pressed into action near the platform to provide blanketing by continuously spraying water.
Due to extreme weather conditions with wind speeds of up to 35 knots, swell of 3.5 meters and strong surface currents in the sea, it was not safe for the ONGC team to land at an unmanned platform by helicopter.
Attempts were, however, being made to transfer the team to the unmanned platform taking all safety precautions.
After detailed discussions between the ONGC and Indian Navy, it was decided to winch down the team with the help of Indian Navy commandos.
'Seaking' helicopter N555 of Indian Navy reached ONGC process platform and took the technical team to S1-6. Despite having no prior experience in being winched down from a helicopter, the team, in synergy with Navy commandos, landed on the unmanned wellhead platform S1-6.
The team identified the leakage source successfully and safely plugged it within one hour.