Cyclone Tauktae : Govt sets up a three-member panel to look into barges stranding in Arabian Sea

NewsBharati    20-May-2021
Total Views |
New Delhi, May 20: As ONGC's sunk barge leaves at least 26 people dead, the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas has set up High-Level Committee to investigate the events that led to the vessel getting stranded during cyclone Tauktae. The three-member panel will inquire into lapses and gaps leading to the stranding and drifting of vessels.
 
barges_1  H x W
 
As per the tweet of the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas, the high-level committee will comprise a three-member panel-- Shri Amitabh Kumar, Director General of Shipping, Shri S.C.L. Das, Director General of Hydrocarbons, and Smt. Nazli Jafri Shayin, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Defence. The panel will probe the sequence of events leading to the stranding and drifting of the vessels and the subsequent events.
 
 
The Committee may co-opt any other member, and take the assistance of any person it deems necessary. It will probe whether the Standard Operating Procedures for securing the vessels and dealing with disaster management were adequately followed. Moreover, the committee will also look at whether the warnings issued by India Meteorological Department and other statutory authorities were adequately considered and acted upon.
 
 
 
The ministry has asked the committee to submit its report within one month. They will also have to make recommendations to prevent the recurrence of such incidents in the future.
 
According to the ministry's statement, several vessels of ONGC with more than 600 people on board were stranded in offshore areas during Cyclone Tauktae. The stranding, drifting and subsequent events have led to the loss of several lives.
 
 
The barge 'P-305' had 261 persons onboard. As per the defense ministry, 186 crew members of Accommodation barge P-305, and two from Tug ‘Varapradha’ have been rescued by IN ships and aircraft and 26 mortal has been recovered to date. Meanwhile, 49 crew members still missing in the sea. INS Kochi, Kolkata, Beas, Betwa, Teg, P8I maritime surveillance aircraft, Chetak, and Seaking helicopters are involved in the SAR operations.
.