Baghjan blowout: Kill fluid injected, fire likely to be doused soon

The Oil India Limited (OIL) has initiated the process of injecting “kill mud”, the final phase of snubbing operation, to kill the blowout well at Baghjan in Assam’s Tinsukia on Sunday.

According to the ground report, the operation headed by the eight-member global experts’ team along with OIL senior officials from the crisis management team (CMT) is showing positive results. The fire is likely to be doused in a few hours if the operation continues smoothly.

The development came almost 12 days after the 60 tonnes of snubbing unit, flown in from Canada’s Calgary by the world’s-largest cargo aircraft – Antonov An-24, reached the blowout site on November 4.

Talking to this correspondent, OIL spokesperson Tridiv Hazarika said, the process to inject the kill fluid started around 11.00 am today, and soon positive results were visible on the ground. “However, it will take a few more hours before achieving cent per cent success.”

Locals confirmed the recent development. Baghjan Goan Milanjyoti Yuva Sangha advisor Hemanto Moran told Team EastMojo the blowout sound has disappeared totally and there has been no fire since the last few hours. “We have suffered for months now and hope this time the operation is full and final,” he added.

Sources said pipes were inserted to a depth of almost 3,600 metres with the help of a snubbing unit.

Also Read: Baghjan blowout: Snubbing unit reaches site, ops to kill fire to start in 4 days

“Insertion of pipes was completed only this morning which was followed by pumping of kill mud through these pipes,” added sources.

In August, OIL succeeded in capping the blowout well at Baghjan by installing BlowOut Preveter (BoP) on the wellhead after two failed attempts on July 31 and August 10. However, the kill-the-well operation failed following the detection of leakage at the casing wellhead, and here’s when the global experts from M/s Alert Damage Control decided to move in for snubbing operation.

With the situation got complex with the new challenge ahead, the Canadian company Alert Damage Control tied up with Alberta-based Piston Well Services to move in it’s snubbing unit along with four crew members.

Also Read: OIL’s entire Baghjan oil field illegal: National Green Tribunal

“Hereafter, given the long duration for snubbing operation to take place, OIL decided to divert the gas and partially start production from the blowout well,” said a source, adding that on September 13, it succeeded in the diversion of gas after one failed attempt earlier.

The “blowout” occurred at the gas well number five at c, in the proximity of Maguri-Motapung Beel and Dibru Saikhowa National Park while workover operations underway produced gas from new sand (oil and gas-bearing reservoir) at a depth of 3,729 metres. This caused natural gas and condensate oil gush to hundreds of feet in the air and spill all around.

The well caught fire on June 9 and has been raging since then.