ONGC finally caps blowout in Sivasagar after on 15 days of toil
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At dawn, ONGC's Crisis Management Team (CMT), alongside specialists from US-based Cudd Well Control, and local crew, began removal of the damaged Blowout Preventer (BOP) from the wellhead. Once the BOP was safely extracted, a pre-positioned capping stack was meticulously lowered onto the wellhead, redirecting the gas flow securely. By 11.15 am, the BOP was finally sealed, bringing an end to the blowout which had caused havoc since June 12.
In an official statement, ONGC hailed the operation as a testament to its engineering excellence, meticulous planning and strong collaboration with global and local partners. "The capping of RDS 147A marks the successful culmination of ONGC's well control efforts. The operation was executed with utmost safety, without a single injury, fatality or incident of fire," the statement said.
The Rudrasagar well blowout had posed serious environmental and safety concerns for the local community, requiring immediate evacuation of nearby residents and extensive safety protocols.
With the well now under control, ONGC will proceed further with well-control protocols, including assessing structural integrity and environmental impact, the statement read, reiterating their commitment to the "highest standards of safety, environmental responsibility and operational excellence.
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Union petroleum minister Hardeep Singh Puri took to X to applaud the teams. "ONGC has successfully capped the blowout of well RDS 147A at 11:15 hours today.
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This blowout started on 12th June and has been capped successfully within the shortest possible time following all the best practices," he wrote.
Puri credited the CMT and international well control experts for their "meticulous planning and concerted efforts," while thanking Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma and state officials for their unwavering support.
Taking to his social media handle, Sarma expressed his gratitude to Puri and acknowledged ONGC and the state administration teams' relentless work. "My deepest gratitude to the brave men and women of Sivasagar, especially those residing in the affected areas, for displaying extraordinary levels of perseverance and extending unstinted cooperation, with all concerned agencies, over the last two weeks," Sarma wrote.
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