Snubbing unit from Canada to help blowout well killing at Baghjan oilfield

Guwahati, Oct 23: The snubbing unit from Canada, which landed at Kolkata Airport on Wednesday night, is being brought to Baghjan oilfield in Upper Assam’s Tinsukia district by road, sources at Oil India Limited (OIL) confirmed.

Piston Well Services Inc. of Alberta (Canada) would be conducting the emergency snubbing services at the blowout well in Baghjan for Alert Disaster Control of Singapore whose experts have already been engaged in the blowout well killing operations.

According to OIL, the equipment weighing 59,000 kg was brought to Kolkata from Canada by an An124 (Antonov) aircraft, the largest civilian transport aircraft in the world.

The aircraft, according to reports, is so huge, that neither the LGBI Airport in Guwahati nor the Dibrugarh airport would have the requisite space for it to land.

“The snubbing unit has landed in Kolkata and it will take 14 days to reach Baghjan by road. Things are under control and the gas diversion operations have been going on successfully,” an OIL spokesperson said.

The natural gas producing well (number five) of OIL at Baghjan had sufferred a blowout on May 27 this year leading to a massive explosion on June 9. Three employees of OIL have lost their lives since the blowout.

Experts from  Alert and OIL teams had succeeded in the restoration of diversion of gas from the blowout well to Baghjan Early Production System(EPS) and two flare pits on September 13.
 

Also read: Tinsukia DC seeks 7 days to resolve Baghjan compensation issue