Mumbai High North Platform Accident

The Mumbai high field, discovered in 1974, is the largest oil and gas field in India. The field is located in the Arabian Sea, approximately 100 miles west 

All in all, the platform was destroyed within hours and caused 22 deaths. Additional information on this accident is available in References 11 and 12. 

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Over the years, many accidents in the offshore industrial sector have occurred and resulted in many fatalities and a large sum of money being spent on damages. Some examples of the deadliest accidents in the offshore oil and gas industry are the Piper Alpha platform accident in the United Kingdom in 1998, the Mumbai High North Platform accident in India in 2005, and the Alexander L. Kielland accident in Norway in 1980 [3],... 

Compare the Piper Alpha accident with the Mumbai High North Platform accident. 

The accident happened at the large Mumbai High North platform complex (Fig. 13.2), which consisted of four adjacent platforms connected by bridges [3,4]. (I had not visited this particular platform complex.)... 

The accident had happened because, in a rush to transfer the injured cook to the platform, the vessel had approached the platform in an unsafe manner in severe weather. The crew of the MSV Samundra Suraksha were in too much of a hurry to do the right thing and help their colleague to reach the medical facilities on board the Mumbai High North platform complex. And, in a hurry to do the right thing, they caused a disaster. 

The common issue in both accidents was impulsive behavior by relatively non-senior people when faced with a (minor) crisis. In the case of Piper Alpha, it was the rapid decision to re-instate the standby condensate pump without checking its status properly. In the case of Mumbai High, it was the rapid decision to transfer the injured cook from MSV Samundra Suraksha to the Mumbai High North platform, despite adverse weather, the unavailability of the leeward crane, and the exposed design of the gas riser on the windward side. 

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