Foreign offshore oil drilling contractors operating in Indian waters are lobbying for reversing the latest maritime rules that mandate higher safety conditions for offshore vessels and accommodation barges, citing technical constraints and cost involved.
The rules, notified by the Directorate General of Shipping in October 2022, mandate mobile offshore drilling units, or MODUs, certified under the 1979 MODU code to upgrade to 1989 or 2009 code by October 2024.
