Pipeline Blast Costs Oil India Rs 10 Crore

Oil India Limited (OIL) has suffered a loss of Rs 10 crore due to the November 28 blasts on the 1,100 km Duliajan-Barauni oil pipeline.

A part of this amount will be borne by the insurer, National Insurance.

OIL chairman and managing director N N Gogoi told Business Standard that besides the Rs 10 crore loss in the form of loss in oil production and repairs to the pipeline, the Barauni and Bongaigaon refineries had incurred losses because of a cut in throughput on the first two days after the blasts.

Gogoi said the pipeline was now operational and full supplies of crude oil to the refineries had resumed. The cleaning and mopping up operations were on.

Gogoi was confident that the OIL workforce would be able to recover most of the spilled crude oil. He was also hopeful of stepping up production from the Duliajan oilfield to make up for the losses during the days the pipeline was undergoing repairs.

Gogoi said repairs to the Duliajan-Guwahati sector of the pipeline were completed by noon on November 30 and the pumping of oil in the pipeline up to Guwahati resumed within two hours.

Repairs to the pipeline downstream of Guwahati had been completed on December 1 and pumping of oil commenced at 1.30 P M on December 2.