GIGANTIC: A view of the ONGC offshore platform in K-G Basin near Vodalarevu in East Godavari district.

VODALAREVU (East Godavari Dt.): After the terrorist attacks in Mumbai and particularly the sea route used to reach the targets, companies engaged in drilling in the Krishna-Godavari Basin, which have assets worth billions of dollars in the form of oil and gas offshore platforms have begun upgrading their security.

There are four major offshore platforms in the KG Basin -- Oil & Natural Gas Corporation’s GS-15 and GS-23, Reliance Group’s D-6, one of the biggest offshore platforms in the country, Cairn Energy’s Ravva and Gujarat State Petroleum Corporation’s platform near S. Yanam. All the four have been placed on high alert.

According to A. A. Khan, Rajahmundry ONGC’s Asset Manager, the help of the Navy and the Coast Guard is being sought for protecting the two drilling stations, which are located about 8 km from Vodalarevu in the Konaseema region. Already, the assistance of the Superintendent of Police is being sought and the assets visited by helicopter regularly.

Two boats will be engaged to go around the GS-15 and GS0-23 platforms frequently.

Reliance has taken the security of its D-6 platforms and pipelines as a major challenge considering that nearly 50 per cent of India’s gas production, easily worth US$ 2 billion, is accounted from this drilling station.

A former Deputy Inspector-General of the Coast Guard has been posted at the platform for overseeing the security, while former Navy officers have been hired for protecting the installations in the Krishna-Godavari basin.

The company recently entered into an agreement with a private shipping company to purchase two high speed boats, carrying sophisticated weapons and equipped with sonar to detect underwater movement.

These vessels will have a maximum speed of 25 knots.

Cairn Energy, which already has three vessels patrolling its offshore assets in the Ravva field, has deployed country boats after the Mumbai attacks to maintain vigil while the GSPC is also seeking the support of ONGC, Coast Guard and the Navy to safeguard its platform.

A senior naval officer said that the fishermen community was the strength for any the offshore platforms as they would not allow others to enter their fishing territory and alert the Coast Guard about new entrants.

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