Cyclone Tauktae: All personnel on board 2 barges adrift off Mumbai safe, says Afcons

Marine Drive | Pic/Pradeep Dhivar

The severe cyclonic storm Tauktae pounding the West Coast de-anchored two Afcons-owned barges working at the Bombay High with 410 personnel but all the staff are safe and the barges have been steadied back, the constriction major said Monday evening.

Earlier in the day, PTI quoting an ONGC official had said the barge belonged to the national energy major but later ONGC clarified that the barges were hired by them and personnel are of the contractor Afcons, which is owned by the Shapporji Pallonji Group of Cyrus Mistry.

The affected barges were deployed at the Heera platform, the largest of the ONGC rigs on the Bombay High, which is the largest oil and gas assets of the national energy major in the country, and were anchored to safety ahead of the cyclone but got drifted and de-anchored due to the gusty winds that have made the Arabian Sea violent.

"We have two barges deployed at the ONGC rigs. Barge No. P305 has personnel onboard and 137 people on the other. Unfortunately both were de-anchored by the powerful cyclonic winds. However, with the help of the Navy, both the barges have been steadied and all the 410 personnel are reported safe as of 1530 hours," an Afcons spokesman told PTI.

Also Read: Cyclone Tauktae: 2 barges with 410 on board adrift near Mumbai

When pointed out that Naval sources have said 15 of the workers are missing reportedly, the Afcons official reiterated that they have no such information till about 1730 hours.

"Ahead of the cyclone, the barge with 261 personnel was anchored at a safe distance but with the impact of the cyclone, it got de-anchored and drifted. However, it has been steadied again and is brought under control," the ONGC spokesperson had told PTI earlier in the day.

As the cyclone is still active and yet to make a landfall, the situation is being constantly monitored, the companies said.

The Navy has pressed the warship INS Kochi and other assets into service to meet any eventuality.

Bombay High off the Mumbai cost is the largest oil and gas assets of ONGC.

ONGC carries on offshore drilling from platforms in the Arabian Sea. As per a recent media report, the company produces 50,000 barrels of crude per day from the Heera platform. Typically, staff are taken for offshore drilling operations by air.

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