MONDAY, MAY 20, 2024
Team Herald
Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated integrated ONGC Sea Survival Training Centre at Betul, alongside Union Petroleum Minister Hardeep Singh Puri, Chief Minister Pramod Sawant, Goa Governor Shreedharan Pillai, and other ONGC officials On Tuesday.
Situated at the expansive ONGC Goa campus of IPSHEM (Institute of Petroleum Safety, Health, and Environment Management), the Sea Survival Centre stands as India's deepest training facility. It offers a lifelike simulation experience to equip personnel with the skills needed to successfully evacuate a helicopter cabin in the event of a crash.
Distinguishing itself with the deepest pool in the country, the facility is designed to replicate challenging scenarios such as mist, waves, darkness, and rain. With the capability to generate eight different types of waves, reaching up to two meters in height, the pool includes four large wave chambers.
The center boasts a world-class faculty, guiding participants through classroom sessions elucidating the entire evacuation process. Practical, in-water training sessions follow, ensuring one trainer for every individual undergoing training.
Among its unique features, the facility includes a full-scale simulation of a helicopter cabin. Participants are securely strapped in before an overhead crane submerges the cabin into the pool, simulating a real-life crash scenario. The cabin capsizes, imitating the chaos of a crash, and individuals are trained to swiftly disengage from their harness, overcome shock and disorientation, and resurface within minutes.
Given the inherent risks of helicopter travel, especially for the over 10,000 offshore ONGC personnel, the Sea Survival Centre addresses the ever-present danger of crashes at sea. The facility's rigorous training, though created primarily for ONGC's safety requirements, is open to other entities, including the Navy, Merchant carriers, Coast Guard, OMCs, and international participants.
In Mumbai alone, ONGC conducts over 35 helicopter sorties daily, transporting up to 450 individuals to and from offshore rigs. The training offered by the Sea Survival Centre aims to instill the necessary skills to navigate and survive such emergencies, emphasizing prevention and preparedness in the face of potential risks.
