ONGC to start major oil drilling off Kochi coast

August 2nd, 2009 KOCHI - Oil and Natural Gas Corporation Limited (ONGC) on Sunday started a major oil exploration drill off Kochi coast, which could give a major boost to Kerala's industrial prospects. The top officials visited the site with the help of helicopters, where ONGC Chairman and Managing Director, R S Sharma, formally launched the drill with a traditional coconut-cracking ceremony.

August 2nd, 2009 KOCHI - It will take at least 100 days to confirm whether there is hydrocarbon presence off Kochi coast, Oil and Natural Gas Corp (ONGC) chairman R.S. Sharma has Sunday.

March 31st, 2009 KOCHI - Emirates Airlines Tuesday announced a 'companion offer' that extends a complimentary return ticket in the same class for a companion for a passenger travelling from here to Dubai. In a press statement, the airlines said the offer was valid on flights EK533 departing from Kochi 4.20 a.m.

March 30th, 2009 THIRUVANANTHAPURAM - Kochi, Kerala's commercial hub, was on alert after intelligence reports indicated that a terror gang was possibly heading towards the city, a police official said Monday. Inspector General of Police Arun Kumar Sinha, however, denied media reports that it was a gang of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) and that they had arrived on the coast near Shertallai, near Alappuzha, and were heading towards Kochi.

March 25th, 2009 KOCHI - ICICI Securities Wednesday launched active trader service (ATS), an offline trading platform, in Kochi. The ATS offers specialised research and personalised services with the aid of latest technology and infrastructure to active traders.

March 20th, 2009 KOCHI - Queen Mary II, world's largest ocean liner, reached Kerala's Kochi coast on Wednesday. The liner is proving to be a visual-treat for the residents.

March 10th, 2009 SURAT - Oil and Natural Gas Corp (ONGC) will soon start drilling three exploration wells at a depth of 2,500 to 4,500 metres in the Gulf of Khambhat off northwest Gujarat, officials said. The company has got the clearance from the ministry of environment and forests Feb 22 to start drilling the wells in the CB-ONN-2004/1/2 blocks, they said.

March 6th, 2009 NEW DELHI - State-run major Oil and Natural Gas Corp Thursday said it will invest Rs.24.65 billion (Rs.2,465 crore) for revamping oil fields in Assam. The board of the upstream major approved the investment for the first phase of renewal of the Lakwa and Lakhmani surface facilities in the northeastern state, a company statement said.

February 28th, 2009 KOCHI - The Indian Navy will be responsible for the overall maritime security of the country, including coastal and off-shore security, Defence Minister A.K. Antony announced Saturday.

February 6th, 2009 AHMEDABAD - The state-run oil producer Oil and Natural Gas Corp (ONGC) has discovered two new oil wells in Patan district in Gujarat, which have estimated oil reserves of over one million tonnes, an official said here Saturday. The oil find was made at a crucial time as the upstream major's Mehsana production unit in the state was witnessing fall in output, said the official, who did not want to be identified.

January 27th, 2009 NEW DELHI - State-run Oil and Natural Gas Corp (ONGC) Wednesday reported a 43 percent dip in net profit in the quarter ended Dec 31, but expressed hope that the fourth quarter performance will be better as there would not be any further subsidy burden. The company's net profit for the third quarter fell to Rs.24.75 billion (Rs.2,475 crore/$506 million) from Rs.43.7 billion a year ago.

January 11th, 2009 NEW DELHI - Oil and Natural Gas Corp (ONGC) is set to invest over $600 million for the development of assets of Imperial Energy, in addition to its acquisition price of $2.1 billion, said a company official Monday. ONGC acquired Imperial Energy after more than 97 percent of its shareholders had approved the deal last December.

January 11th, 2009 NEW DELHI - India's ONGC Videsh may buy a stake of up to 40 percent in an oil block in Kazakhstan, an oil ministry official said Monday. ONGC Videsh, the overseas arm of state-run explorer Oil and Natural Gas Corp., may get a share of 30-40 percent in the Satpayev block in the oil and mineral resources rich Central Asian country, the official official said.

January 5th, 2009 AGARTALA - India's premier hydrocarbons exploration company, Oil and Natural Gas Corp (ONGC), has undertaken a Rs.43.76-billion project in Tripura to boost gas output, the company said here Tuesday. 'The investment proposal has been approved to produce and supply six million cubic metres gas per day from the state's gasfields,' ONGC executive director Biplab Guha told reporters.

January 2nd, 2009 NEW DELHI - Defending the acquisition of Imperial Energy, the state-run oil producer Oil and Natural Gas Corp (ONGC) has said the British energy major's potential was 'very good'. ONGC recently managed to get approval from 97 percent of the shareholders of Imperial Energy for its offer for acquisition at $1.89 billion (or 12.50 pounds per share).