Turf war between ONGC directors over rig hire
ONGC director exploration Sushma Rawat's office has raised eyebrows by trying to hire drilling rigs, normally the responsibility of Om Prakash Singh, the technology and field services director.
Singh oversees the second-largest budget at ONGC after production director Pankaj Kumar. On December 2 (2024), DGM materials management Neelesh Pant in Rawat's office sent a letter enquiring about the "availability of drilling rigs for parametric wells in shallow and deep waters" for a government-funded offshore exploration programme.
In plain English, parametric wells uncover geological and geophysical information used for further exploration. Pant sent the letter to only a handful of drillers, among them Vantage Drilling, Aban Offshore, Transocean, Shelf Drilling, and ADES.
He said ONGC "intends to drill four parametric wells in (the) east and west coast of India, and we are identifying suitable rigs." One of the two shallow water wells - typically drilled by jack-ups - will be drilled offshore Saurashtra in Gujarat and the other off the West Bengal coast, each in water depths of around 100 metres to approximately 6000-7000 metres depth.
Also needed is a rig to drill two ultra-deepwater wells, typically drilled by drillships: one near the Andaman Islands and the other in the Mahanadi offshore basin, each in water depths of 1800-2355 metres to approximately 6000-7000 metres depth below the seabed. Pant asks about the availability of "suitable rigs for these wells; current engagement status of the rigs; and any other details related to their capability for handling such conditions."
Unusually, the enquiry was silent on when the rigs are needed or when responses should be sent. "We look forward to receiving your response at your earliest convenience," writes Pant.
A source stresses that the director T&FS-controlled drilling services group outlined the rig requirement for these four parametric wells on October 23 (2024) during a detailed online presentation. "It came as a surprise to us that the exploration director's office floated this enquiry," he says, adding that his company did not receive the enquiry.
"ONGC cannot be selective; this tender must be open to all."