US invites India for international meet on off shore drilling

Lalit K Jha
Washington, Apr 5 (PTI) The US has invited India along
with more than a dozen other countries for an international
meeting on offshore drilling and blowout containment.
US Interior Secretary Ken Salazar said this is part of
America's commitment to reduce the risks associated with
offshore drilling around the world.
During the two-day meeting here on April 14, ministers
and senior government officials from nations engaged in
offshore oil and gas extraction would discuss the development
of cutting-edge technologies for containing potential
deepwater well blowouts on the outer continental shelves.
"Just as we share oceans with our neighbors, we have
an interest in sharing best practices for how all of us can
develop our resources safely and responsibly," said Salazar.
"Those of us engaged in offshore energy exploration
and production have a collective responsibility to strengthen
our capabilities for containing potential deepwater blowouts
and promoting international collaboration, research and
development going forward," he said.
Besides India, other countries invited for the
conference are Brazil, Mexico, Australia, the United Kingdom,
Norway, Russia, Canada, Israel, Netherlands and Angola. The
European Union too has been invited.
Two panels of experts from industry and academia will
make presentations on the lessons learned from recent blowouts
and offer suggestions for promoting cutting-edge containment
capabilities in the future.