ONGC breaks its record with 45 rig moves completed ahead of monsoon season

India’s government-owned energy company Oil & Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) has wrapped up 45 rig moves in preparation for the monsoon season with the help of ABL, part of Oslo-listed energy and marine consultancy ABL Group. This is said to set a new record, as the Indian player’s previous one was 37 rig moves.

While explaining that it assisted ONGC as a tow master and marine warranty provider in moving 45 rigs to new locations before the monsoon season hits, ABL pointed out that these rigs were moved to their respective monsoon locations between end-March and end-May 2024.

Captain Stephen Craig, ABL’s Director for Rig Operations, noted: “Even normal weather conditions pose significant challenges to both the tow master and marine warranty surveyor who must consider environmental, tidal, bathymetric and soil conditions.

“Such a substantial rig moving campaign therefore depends on seamless cooperation between marine warranty surveyors, tow master, geotechnical engineers, back-office personnel, rig operators and ONGC. We look forward to collaborating with ONGC and third-party rig operators when the new season commences in September 2024.”

During the rig moving campaign, the company acted for ONGC’s underwriters and their appointed consultants, providing marine warranty services to the Indian firm’s fleet of jack-ups and mobile offshore production units in the country’s waters.

With a combined total traveled distance for all rigs of 5,477 nautical miles, ABL has supported 113 rig moves offshore India as tow master and MWS provider from September 2023 to May 2024 regarding the monsoon season.

The firm has secured new assignments recently, including the MWS deal with China Offshore Oil Engineering Company (COOEC) for jacket installations on what is said to be the world’s biggest conventional offshore oil field both by recoverable reserves and production capacity.

This followed a new job with OMV Petrom for MWS services on a natural gas project in the Romanian area of the Black Sea and a gig with LLOG Exploration for a development project in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico, after being chosen as the tow master during the month before for an FPSO destined for Brazil.