A hydrocarbon excavation rig of the Oil and Natural Gas Corporation off the coast of Andhra Pradesh has tilted under the impact of Cyclone Phethai which made landfall on Monday, The Hindu reported on Friday.
The ONGC tweeted that all 111 crew members on the rig, Olinda Star, were evacuated on December 14 and December 15 after the India Meteorological Department forecast the cyclone. “The rig, which weathered the strong cyclone, is being brought [to] complete normalcy,” it said. The rig is in the Krishna Godavari basin off Kakinada in Andhra Pradesh.
An unidentified official of ONGC said a 12-member team visited the offshore site on Friday. “It will take a couple of days to restore the rig,” the official told The Hindu.
The Indian Navy tweeted on Friday that it had airlifted members of a technical team who had reportedly stayed back on the rig as they could not be evacuated earlier due to inclement weather, The News Minute reported.
“Prior to the onset of severe Cyclone Phethai, the crew suspended operations and were evacuated to shore for shelter,” the Navy said. “Olinda Star is observed to be tilted and possibly sustained damage by the impact of Severe Cyclone Phethai.”
Cyclone Phethai hit the coast of Andhra Pradesh, killing one person. Heavy rain lashed several parts of Odisha after the cyclone made landfall and over 11,000 people were evacuated to safety zones in the state.
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