Indian Engineers Shadow MMS Offshore Safety Inspections

The Interior Department's Minerals Management Service (MMS) announced 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.