Speed boat launch for ONGC installations
Amid controversy, ONGC has launched a fast new crew or speed boat in the western offshore to save on helicopter costs.
On April 5 (2024), Mumbai-based SHM Shipcare vessel Sea Stallion-1 (formerly Pelican Peace) was sent out on a trial run to carry passengers from Mumbai to the Neelam offshore complex. One insider tells us ONGC wants to use speed boats to transport crew because hiring international helicopter contractors has become difficult since the Ukraine war.
Resembling an upmarket ferry, the speed boat has plush interiors with Sea Stallion embossed on seats that can be pushed back to recline in comfort. Some crew dressed in orange overalls mixed with senior officers on the vessel as they waited to hear the horn signalling its imminent departure.
"It was a big moment for us," says one officer. As the nearly two-hour voyage began, the crew chatted and enjoyed sandwiches and refreshments.
"But what will we do when the seas are rough during the monsoon?" asked one officer, more accustomed to flying offshore in a helicopter. Not everyone was happy with the new transport arrangements.
But some went out of their way to show they were satisfied. On April 14 (2024), ONGC directors Pankaj Kumar and OP Singh went on another vessel ride from Mumbai to the Nhava shorebase.
On March 27 (2024), chief general manager production and Mumbai High asset surface manager Deepak Swaroop Bhatnagar chaired a meeting at the Vasudhara Bhavan office in Mumbai to discuss how to operate Sea Stallion-1. In attendance were 13 representatives from the Offshore Logistics Group, Services Group and Western Offshore Assets (Mumbai High, Neelam and Heera, and Bassein and Satellite).
They decided that documents such as passports, photographs, Aadhar cards or IDs for contractors and staff would be checked before each voyage. Everyone received assurances that sufficient sea survival equipment was on board to meet the International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS) standards.
"Sea Stallion-1 has a Zodiac (inflatable raft), life rafts, life buoys and work vests," we hear.