The Indian Navy and other defence, state, and civilian agencies conducted a coordinated exercise with the codename ‘Prasthan’ off the coast of Mumbai on April 23. The exercise is conducted every six months to validate the measures and procedures in place to respond to unforeseen events on oil production platforms. This exercise was conducted on the Greatdrill Chaaya platform, approximately 30 nautical miles southwest of Mumbai Harbour.
During the exercise, participants pretended to deal with a number of emergency situations, including a fire on an oil platform, a man falling overboard, an oil spill in the vicinity, emergencies involving helicopters, dangerous gas leaks, assisting a vessel that became disabled in the offshore area, and the medical evacuation of platform employees.
The drill included ships and helicopters from the Indian Navy, Indian Air Force, Indian Coast Guard, Directorate General of Shipping, and ONGC. Participating agencies included the Maharashtra Police, Customs, Fisheries, Mumbai Port Authority, JN Port Authority, and other state and central civil agencies.
The exercise provided a realistic environment to evaluate all parties’ preparedness to deal with these unforeseen circumstances and strengthen standard operating procedures.
