Cyclone Tauktae: Search operations on for at least 78 ONGC workers

With Cyclone Tauktae wreaking havoc on Indian shores, search and rescue operations are still on for at least 78 people present at the state-run Oil and Natural Gas Corporation’s (ONGC) accommodation barge ‘Papaa–305’ (P-305) in the Bombay High.

Of the 260 personnel, about 182 were saved by an Indian Navy rescue team.

According to multiple sources aware of the development, the whereabouts of at least over 50 people are still unknown.

An Indian Navy spokesperson did not respond to questions from Moneycontrol regarding the rescue operations.

"Rescue operations are still on. The Navy is spearheading it," said an ONGC company official.

An accommodation barge is a shallow draft used to accommodate workers involved in offshore operations.

Cyclone Tauktae hit the Arabian Sea off the coast of Mumbai in the early hours of May 17, 2021, where ONGC’s major production installations and drilling rigs are located.

The wind speed rose to nearly 150-180 kmph with waves soaring six to eight meters

ONGC is yet to reveal details of the safety precautions it had taken to tackle the impact of the cyclone.

Though there were concerns regarding the oil rig Sagar Bhushan with 101 personnel on board and an accommodation barge SS-3 with 196 people, sources indicate that both those facilities were spotted, and the staff saved.

For rescue operations, INS Kochi and INS Kolkata- two ships of the Indian Navy, one Tugboat of Afcons, one OSV (Offshore Supply vessel) of ONGC and a Coast Guard vessel ‘ICG Samarth’, are involved.

In addition, INS Talwar was also part of the SoS efforts at Sagar Bhushan.

For barge ‘Gal Constructor’, Coast Guard vessel ‘ICG Samrat’ and Mumbai Port Trust vessel ‘Water Lily’ were used for the rescue mission.

The Indian Navy has said that its P8I surveillance aircraft are already in action, adding that their helicopters will also be pressed into service, depending on the weather conditions.