India may soon boast of a first-of-its-kind helicopter rescue service if a plan conceived by the Oil and Natural Gas Corporation goes through. According to reliable sources from the helicopter aviation industry, the state-owned oil exploration and production firm has decided to revive its Emergency Search and Rescue (ESAR) plan for the western coast.
However, the primary purpose of the service would be to attend to emergencies of its own installations, which have the highest susceptibility for explosions and catching fire. The firm already has a Medivac helicopter — it uses an Indian-made Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) Dhruv helicopter — that is used to ferry injured and sick ONGC personnel to and from Bombay High, the offshore drilling platform.
According to a senior pilot privy to the developments, the decision was taken in a June 5 meeting with the Director-General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) E.K. Bharat Bhushan at the Juhu airport where several issues regarding helicopter operations in the country were discussed. ONGC is a regular patron of helicopter services for ferrying its workers and crew to Bombay High from the Juhu aerodrome and is also contracted with state-owned helicopter operator Pawan Hans for this. About 80 per cent of chopper flights from Juhu are already operated by ONGC.
A senior ONGC official said that to revive the ESAR plan, they will lease the chopper, along with a fully-trained crew, and will float tenders for this soon. “While primary importance will be given to our assets, it can also be used to attend to distress calls by ships and elsewhere in the city during contingency situations. We are yet to work out the specifications of the service and identify our requirements and will float the tender for the lease once they are worked out,” said the official.
ONGC spokesperson Harish Awal confirmed the development, but refused to share further details. Anil Devli, secretary of the Indian National Shipowners Association hailed the development and said that such a service would be a “national asset”. “Kudos to ONGC for conceptualising such a service which will go a long way in ensuring safer shipping lines,” he said.