Maritime Safety and the Law

The death of 70 people and another 16 missing from an ONGC barge raises the question of whether the oil exploration giant really follows international best practices in terms of safety guidelines in the offshore industry

- Lily Thomas Jr-SAJU JAKOB

WITH India still struggling with high numbers of corona infections, which have strained capacities of hospitals and oxygen supplies, the country was struck by another blow when cyclone Tauktae hit the west coast of India, triggering heavy losses and disruption, including dead and missing on the high seas. Tauktae was the largest cyclone in the region for decades.

The collapse of a barge off the coast of Mumbai brought into focus health and safety issues relating to offshore activity on the high seas, especially by the Oil and Natural Gas Corporation Ltd (ONGC), which is the custodian of such activities. The Mumbai High oil and gas field is located 176 km of the west coast off Mumbai. India ranks third in the world for energy consumption, and oil and gas contributes 41 percent of its consumption, 80 percent of which are imported. India attempts to enhance domestic production by adopting various licensing regimes to companies, especially ONGC. The large number of deaths following the cyclone raises the obvious question: Are they really following the ISO standards or international best practices in terms of safety guidelines in the offshore industry?