The sister of offshore rig worker Pete Phillip has described the search-and-recovery operation by Well Services Petroleum Company to locate his body as a “failure”.
Paula Baxam yesterday made the call for immediate action to retrieve her brother’s remains.
Phillip disappeared when Rig 110 partially collapsed in the Gulf of Paria on December 22, 2024.
call for compensation: President general of the Oilfields Workers’ Trade Union Ancel Roget consoles Patricia Phillip, mother of Well Services employee Pete Phillip, who was killed in an incident on the job on December 22, 2024. The union held a meeting yesterday outside the company’s office in South Oropouche. —Photo: TREVOR WATSON
Speaking with reporters during a meeting organised by the Oilfields Workers’ Trade Union (OWTU) outside the office of Well Services, Otaheite, South Oropouche, Baxam said Phillip’s family had not been provided with answers.
“We ain’t getting nothing and this is failure. Honestly speaking, this is failure. We can’t take it no more. How much again?” she cried.
She said while the family had given the company sufficient time to deal with the matter, their patience was wearing thin.
“This is too long. March month, his baby will born and we still not getting an answer,” she continued.
She said the wait was trying on all members of the family, and while she had lost a sibling previously, she said Phillip’s death was worse.
“This one is the worst because we don’t know what we getting, if we getting anything. So, what is it we are going to bury? Bones, maybe? Clothes and boots? We don’t know what it is we are getting. Can’t even self open a box to say we getting to see our sibling for the last time,” she said.
The family had accepted that Phillip had died and were clinging to the hope for closure, she said.
“We already accept the fact that he is gone, but at least give us the closure that we need. That is all we are asking for. We need that closure, and we need it sooner than later…. This boy was not just anybody. He was a son, brother, uncle, husband, father, friend. He belongs to somebody, and it is about time that we get him back,” she said.
Pete’s mother, Patricia Phillip, who was also present at the OWTU meeting, echoed the call for the search-and-recovery efforts to be expedited.
“(Well Services) taking too long. They need to hurry up and do something,” she said.
Patricia told reporters that Phillip’s wife, Candacy, who is eight months pregnant, did not attend the meeting as she had a doctor’s appointment.
Elvis, Phillip’s younger brother, said three of Pete and Candacy’s children were recently in hospital:
“(Candacy) had to be back and forth, sleeping in a hospital bed with the kids. She don’t have a husband for support who would have been there to support her when these kids were sick. And we still have one (child) in the hospital,” he said.
OWTU: Retrieve
the body
President general of the OWTU Ancel Roget said despite 44 days since the partial collapse of Well Services Rig 110 in the Gulf of Paria, and Phillip’s body yet unretrieved, it was “business as usual” in the Heritage Offshore East Field.
He called for Phillip’s body to be immediately retrieved, with dignity and respect for the rig worker and his family, and for his family to receive proper, adequate and immediate compensation.
Roget said the Ministry of Energy, Ministry of Labour and OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Authority and Agency) had failed workers in the country.
“A major facility in one of the Government’s operated producing fields collapsed and 75 workers could have lost their lives. One worker ended up losing his life, and to date, the body of that worker has not been recovered,” he said.
He called on Energy Minister Stuart Young to answer when the rig was last inspected and to produce “a factual report” on the recommendations and actions taken to ensure the safety of workers on Rig 110.
Roget also condemned the statements by Young following the launch of the Renewable Energy Technology Services (RETS) scholarship programme on Monday.
Young said incidents like what happened with Rig 110 and the inability to retrieve Phillip’s body were “unfortunately taking place in hydrocarbon economies and sectors across the world”.
Roget argued that the statement was callous and demonstrated disregard for human life.
“He (Young) is comfortable to say that this is taking place across the world and have Trinidad and Tobago’s public believe that that’s a norm,” he continued.
Elvis added that Young’s statement was “distasteful”.
“It was very distasteful (Monday) listening to the minister when he was asked about if enough was being done and how they deal with the matter, he was comfortable with it. The goal should always be zero. Safety is always zero incidents,” he said.
Well Services responds
In a media release yesterday, Well Services said it was critical to stabilise the rig before recovery efforts could be continued.
“This stabilisation is a necessary step to ensure the safety of all personnel involved and to create a secure foundation for the complex operations that lie ahead,” it said.
The company added that this process involved the thorough assessment of the rig’s current condition and the deployment of specialised equipment designed to safely secure the structure, and was necessary to prevent further risks or damage and ensure a successful recovery operation.
As such, the recovery efforts will continue once the stabilisation process is effectively conducted, the company said.
Well Services said while it engaged local companies for the procurement of equipment, after consulting with expert advisers, it was determined that the available equipment did not meet the necessary standards for the operation.
Through partnering with an international company, Well Services said an on-site assessment was conducted, which would ensure the highest standards of safety for all individuals involved.
“Given the high-risk nature of the recovery efforts, Well Services is committed to prioritising the safety of all personnel and has made the decision to avoid placing anyone’s life in jeopardy,” it said.
Well Services added that it “deeply empathizes with the family members affected by this situation and shares in the sense of loss, as the individual involved was a valued member of the team”.
