MMS Shares Technical Expertise with Indian Officials
Engineers get hands-on training in offshore oil and gas operations
WASHINGTON, D.C. –
The Interior Department’s
Minerals Management Service (MMS) announced today the successful
completion of a two week offshore oil and gas technical exchange for
visiting engineers from India’s Ministry of Petroleum and Natural
Gas Oil Industry Safety Directorate (OISD). As part of the training,
representatives from India’s OISD accompanied MMS engineers and
inspectors on routine inspections of offshore oil and gas operations
in the Gulf of Mexico and southern California. The training was
carried out under a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the
OISD and the MMS.
“We were honored to host our partners from India and
to have the opportunity to share our knowledge of offshore oil and
gas regulations, environmental protections and official safety
inspections with them,” said MMS Acting Director Walter
Cruickshank. “The exchange program allowed us to share our best
practices in regulating offshore oil and gas operations and will
help strengthen India’s practices and procedures.”
MMS staff in
Louisiana and California provided OISD engineers with detailed
information about the legal framework, regulations, inspection and
enforcement tools employed by the MMS to ensure the clean and safe
operations and proper metering of U.S Outer Continental Shelf (OCS)
oil and gas production. In addition, OISD engineers “shadowed” MMS
inspectors and engineers on actual routine inspections of offshore
oil and gas facilities.
The OISD signed a Memorandum of
Understanding (MOU) with the MMS on July 21, 2006 for cooperation
and informational exchanges pertaining to safety and enforcement
issues in the regulation of offshore oil and natural gas exploration
and development. The Indian Government is self-funding its
participation in the MOU and MMS participation is made possible
through funding from the U.S. Trade and Development Agency.
Contact:
Frank Quimby (202)
208-6416
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Last Updated:
02/18/2009,
08:23 AM
Central Time