Recovery operation for missing rig worker to resume in March

THE search-and-recovery operation for Pete Phillip, the missing employee of Well Services Petroleum Company Ltd, is expected to resume in the first two weeks of March, diminishing any hopes his widow, Candacy, had of getting closure before giving birth to Phillip's youngest child.

In an update last week, Well Services told Phillip's family the company hired to carry out the task had said locally available equipment was inadequate.

The company has arranged to procure the necessary equipment internationally.

The update to Phillip's widow said, "Both semi-submersible and crane barges are expected in Trinidad on or around the end of the first week in March 2025 to commence the salvage and recovery operations."

Candacy had hoped her husband's body would be recovered before she gave birth to their child, due by the end of February.

Although providing the update to Newsday on January 27, Candacy was not able to give an interview, as it would have been their 14th wedding anniversary.

Phillip was left unaccounted for after Well Services' Rig 110 partly collapsed in the early hours of December 22. Search-and-rescue operations started immediately but transitioned to search-and-recovery on December 26, as the company presumed he was dead.

The operation was paused around December 30 as the company assessed safety concerns over the partially collapsed rig. A little over a week later, it announced it had found the probable location of Phillip's body but needed specialised equipment to continue the operation safely.

Phillip would have turned 46 on January 17. In commemoration, the company took 12 of Phillip's relatives on a boat to offer prayers at the rig site.

Candacy could not attend because of her pregnancy. Instead, she and their four children lit candles and prayed for Phillip.