The Indian Coast Guard (ICG) evacuated 50 people from a jackup drilling rig Key Singapore off the coast near Dwarka amid strong winds and high tide conditions in the Arabian Sea in preparation for a severe storm likely to hit western India and southern Pakistan this week.
off the coast near Dwarka amid strong winds and high tide conditions in the Arabian Sea in preparation for a severe storm likely to hit western India and southern Pakistan this week.The 1982-built Shelf Drilling rig has been operating for Cairn India on a two-well contract. ICG said that all crew were evacuated safely.
The cyclone, named Biparjoy, is expected to make landfall on Thursday afternoon between Mandvi in Gujarat and Karachi in Pakistan with a maximum sustained wind speed of 125 km/h to 135 km/h with gusts up to 150 km/h, according to officials.
The India Meteorological Department has advised fishing communities to halt operations and people in the Saurashtra and Kutch coastal areas of Gujarat to evacuate. Two of India’s biggest ports, Mundra and Kandla, are in the Gulf of Kutch, and the storm is also likely to cross the Jakhau Port area by the evening of June 15. Operations at the Pipavav port have been temporarily suspended since Saturday evening.
