The Hindu : Front Page : Blowout occurs in ONGC exploratory well, no casualties

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Friday, Sep 09, 2005

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Blowout occurs in ONGC exploratory well, no casualties

B.V.S. Bhaskar

Another flare-up not ruled out; second blowout in ten years

RIG UNDER FIRE: A view of the rising flames from the ONGC well at Thandavapalli village, near Amalapuram, on Thursday.

AMALAPURAM: A blowout occurred in an exploratory well of the Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) on Thursday morning at Thandavapalli village in the vicinity of Amalapuram in East Godavari district. However, the flames died down by the evening, but ONGC officials did not rule out the possibility of another flare-up.

This blowout occurred exactly after a decade of the Pasarlapudi one in the same picturesque Konaseema region.

ONGC officials and the district administration expressed happiness that there were no casualties or injuries to the 20 persons who were working at the rig at that time. According to them, four vehicles, bunks, which were parked near the well, completely melted out and the loss of equipment and exploration is yet to be assessed.

ONGC version

Meanwhile, the Crisis Management Team (CMT) is hopeful that they will complete blowout control measures within 10 days with the assistance of a four-member expert team from the partner, Boots and Coots from Houston, USA.

However, the flames touched 100 to 150 feet height at the time of blowout and gradually subsided by the evening.

At the time of the accident, the villagers of Thandavaplli and Vanichintalapudi heard deafening sounds and experienced the heat within a radius of one kilometre. ONGC officials declared that the blowout was less in intensity than that of Pasarlapudi blowout in this area in 1995. Meanwhile, the revenue administration evacuated 200 families from Tandavapalli village and housed them in two separate camps within 10 km.

Pressure increases

The Asset Manager of Rajahmundry ONGC, A.A. Khan, and K. Satyanarayana, General Manager, Head of Crisis Management, addressing reporters on Thursday evening, said that the mishap occurred around 11.30 a.m. in E-1420 Rig.

When 20 employees were on the job of locking the exploratory well, pressure suddenly increased and gas gushed out and the 20-year old rig caught fire. "As per the international standards, one well out of 200 may blow out. We are within that limit and our success rate is comparable with that of the best companies in the world," Mr. Khan said.

The ONGC officials said they had taken all precautionary measures during the drilling in accordance with prescribed norms and their expertise had improved since the Pasarlapudi blowout.

"We are confident of bringing it under control within 10 days, Mr. Khan said.

Meanwhile, the Chief Minister, Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy, asked the East Godavari district administration to be ready for taking relief measures at the village. The Navy is also put on alert.

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