Mid-sea mishap: ONGC suspends three officials, disciplinary action taken against several others

The mishap at the state-run Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) contractor's accommodation barge Papaa-305 (P-305) and tugboat Varaprada that claimed 86 lives last month, has taken a fresh turn with ONGC taking action against its senior officials.

At least three executive directors were suspended after a preliminary probe by the management, while disciplinary action was also taken against some officials.

The disciplinary actions include transfer from the existing posts and issuing show-cause notices, said sources.

The ONGC Officers’ Association has already approached the management and has written a letter to the management and Subhash Kumar, who holds the charge of the Chairman and Managing Director.

The Association is of the opinion that the fault lies on part of the operators of the barge and ONGC had given necessary warnings to them in advance, said a company source.

Officials are also upset with the fact that no action has been taken against the contractor, Afcons International.

When asked about this, a source said, “Suspension cannot be considered as an action. It was done to make sure that a fair investigation occurs in the case. In case of whether Afcons is at fault or not, the Ministry of Petroleum has set up an enquiry committee and any further action will be taken based on their report.”

There were reports that the ONGC may have ignored an email from the desk officer of barge P-305 seeking guidance on steps to be taken to ensure the safety of the 261 personnel on board.

However, ONGC claims that it had taken all necessary steps and followed all safety protocols after the warning by the Indian Coast Guard.

According to the oil major, there were 99 floating installations in the region when the cyclone warning was issued. Following the warnings by the India Meteorological Department (IMD) and ONGC, 94 out of 99 vessels were shifted to safe locations at sea and ashore.

Out of 7,675 personnel, 6,961 stayed safe at their respective locations. However, the remaining five vessels (carrying 714 personnel) faced an adverse situation.

The company claims that it is the contractor’s fault that has led to the situation as all the other vessels followed the instructions to move to safe shores.

On the other hand, the contractor Afcons International held the barge owner Durmast and the master of the barge responsible for the accidents.

Afcons had said that as per the normal marine protocol, as well as the specific charter agreement for P305, matters concerning vessel safety lie with the owner and the barge master, who is in the best position to decide on the appropriate course of action regarding vessel safety.