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.