NEW DELHI: Offshore barges are like floating mini-townships without own traction and could require up to a week or more to lift anchor before they can be towed around. But three such vessels hired by ONGC and a drill ship owned by the state-run company going adrift after breaking loose from anchors due to cyclone Tauktae raises questions whether its severity was underestimated or the tempest deviated from its predicted path with a sudden drop in pressure. People in the know told TOI the ‘Master’ of each vessel takes a call after evaluating warnings. “The Master, based on weather inputs, may decide that moving ‘X’ nautical miles away from the projected path of a cyclone will be safe. Here saving human lives and not infrastructure takes precedence,” a former ONGC executive said requesting anonymity.