The Union Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas Hardeep Singh Puri paid a visit to the Platinum Explorer rig working on the wells in the 98/2 Cluster II field on 12 June 2022. The Minister was accompanied by ONGC Chairman and Managing Director Dr Alka Mittal, along with Director (T&FS) O P Singh, Director (Offshore) Pankaj Kumar and ED-Asset Manager Adesh Kumar. Mr Puri showed keen interest in the offshore operations of ONGC. Addressing  the gathering, he appreciated the efforts of ONGC. He enquired about the Rig availability in the market and  advised to take necessary steps to increase the domestic Oil & Gas production.

Visiting the Rig, they interacted with the Basin Manger-KG Basin, CDS-Deepwater, EOA teams from Project and Drilling, and the field personnel. Mr Puri reviewed the progress of the 98/2 project.

Hon’ble Minister visiting Platinum Explorer rig

A brief presentation was made by Director (Offshore) Pankaj Kumar, outlining the Project facilities being developed under the 98/2 project. Mr Kumar highlighted the monetization of the first Gas well in the U-field in a record time of less than 10 months. He also highlighted the project’s state-of-the-art technology, especially from this complex field. Mr Kumar particularly emphasized on the PIP (Pipe-in-Pipe) used in the Oil lines for the first time in this part of the country at these water depths. Further highlighting the Make in India initiative undertaken by ONGC in the project, he mentioned that for the first time in India the Complex deep water structures like Manifolds and SDUs are being fabricated at LTHE Kattupalli yard.

Presentation outlining the Project facilities being developed under the 98/2 project

Mr Kumar offered details on the different drilling rigs used for the project in Shallow waters as well as in the deep waters. The Minister took keen interest in the review of the project to deeply understand the issues and the stakeholders delivering the project. Following the presentation, the Minister visited the rig facilities. The Minister took keen interest in the ROV Operation in the bridge of the rig.

The contract for the ultra deepwater drillship, Platinum Explorer with ONGC started  in 2021 for two years. Presently located off the east coast of India, in the Bay of Bengal, the 238 meters long Platinum Explorer is capable of operating in water depths of up to 10,000 feet (3048 meters). Associated with ONGC since its delivery, the rig also has a maximum drilling depth of 40,000 feet (12192 meters), and was built in 2010 by South Korea's Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering.

Hon’ble Minister with CMD Dr Alka Mittal and other officials in the Platinum Explorer

After the Minister’s visit, CMD Dr Mittal expressed her gratitude to the Minister, and mentioned how his visit boosted the morale of the ONGC teams.

Hon’ble Minister with the senior officials at the Platinum Explorer rig