A gas leak was detected in a well on an oil rig in Bombay High around 160 km off the Mumbai coast on Saturday, authorities at the Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) which operates the rig, said. No casualties were reported.
“The gas leak is minor and has been contained. Around 42 members of the non-operating staff have been evacuated,” an ONGC spokesperson told The Hindu. The leak was detected in the casing of the well on the Sagar Uday oil rig, he said. Around 80 personnel were present.
“We noticed some bubbles in the mud near the well and immediately began evacuation operations as a precaution. Our crisis management team has been mobilised,” the spokesperson added. The evacuation operations were conducted jointly by the ONGC, the Navy and the Coast Guard.
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“One of our vessels and two helicopters have been pressed into service to help the ONGC,” said a Coast Guard official. A senior Navy official told The Hindu, “Since the rig is far away, one naval ship and one Coast Guard ship are closing in on the oil platform to provide any assistance needed.” Experts from neighbouring rig platforms had also been engaged to help plug the leak, officials said.