India’s state-controlled Oil & Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) has raised concerns over the government’s controversial Merchant Shipping Bill, which could see more than two-thirds of the company’s rig fleet become redundant once new age norms for mobile offshore drilling units (MODUs) are introduced.

The proposed Bill aims to classify MODUs, including jack-up rigs, as vessels, making them subject to age restrictions, Upstream had reported.

In a recent letter written to Indian Petroleum Secretary Pankaj Pain, and seen by Upstream, ONGC chief executive Arun Kumar Singh said that the government should immediately defer a proposal by the Directorate General of Shipping (DGS) to bring MODUs — including jack-up rigs — under the purview of vessels, which could lead to strict age limits for offshore rigs.