One year later, prayer service for missing Pete Phillip

IMMEDIATE relatives of Well Services Ltd employee Pete Phillip, were expected to gather at his George Street, La Romaine home on December 22 for a prayer service to commemorate the first anniversary of the accident, which presumably claimed his life.

Well Services Ltd Rig 110 in the East Soldado Field suffered a partial collapse in the early hours of December 22, 2024. Phillip was one of 75 employees onboard during drilling efforts and was the only one unaccounted after the collapse. Though a search effort and later recovery efforts were mounted, his body – or what's left of it – is yet to be recovered.

At their lower George Street home, a few minutes away from Pete's, his mother Patricia and sister, Pauline, were busy preparing meals for the service open only to close relatives.

Devout Pentecostals, Pauline, said despite the absence of a body and a subsequent funeral, his nine siblings unanimously decided to hold the prayer meeting.

"We decide we ain't get to do the funeral and we have to do the one year, at least we can still put him at rest until we could get the last of the remains of the body...of the bones or whatever."

Patricia fought to speak through her uncontrollable sobs, which, at times, overwhelmed her. She recalled being at her sister's in New York when she received the call about the accident and took one of the first flights home, spending Christmas in Point Fortin during the rescue and recovery efforts, praying her son would be returned to her.

The anxiety and pain remain with the family as they await positive news. Though the company said it had a fair idea of where Phillip's remains are, recovery efforts had to be halted due to safety concerns with the collapsing structure's stability, which first needed to be addressed. This, it said, required specialised equipment sourced from abroad.

A November 12 release from the company said a US-based company arrived to undertake the first phase, entailing stabilisation work and removing hazardous materials. It said recovering Phillip's remains will commence once the first phase is completed. It did not give a timeline but said approvals were given by the Environmental Management Agency, the Ministry of Works and Transport, the Ministry of Energy and Energy Industries and the Occupational Safety and Health Agency.

Phillip's family, however, was not satisfied with the length of time the recovery effort was taking, with each passing day only increasing their desire for closure.

"I find they just moving too slow. Too, too, too slow because if it was some minister or some kind of thing...it is somebody's family. They could have moved better than that. They could have tried," Pauline said.

Phillip's mother echoed the sentiment, saying: "If was some big man, some big pappy, they would have do something already."

They've also taken umbrage at the way the company has been communicating with Phillip's mother and siblings. Pauline said the company has been communicating mainly with his wife, Candacy, as she was the next of kin.

"We just have to wait and whatever message we get from them, that is all we can do. We just have to lay back, which is so sad to know."

However, she commended the way Well Services Ltd has been looking out for Candacy and their five children, including Phillip's eldest son, 18, from a previous relationship.

"The biggest boy, he still going to school. He have a programme he doing. They help him with that. They would give him passage. Every week he would get whatever. The wife and thing, they fix the house and they standing with them."

She added: "That was thankful and grateful for."

Candacy was not at home during Newsday's visit to George Street nor did she answer phone calls.

Candacy was pregnant at the time of the accident and gave birth to Javon Pete Phillip in February, carrying the name of a father he would never know.

Unable to get the remains before the first anniversary of the accident, they now hope it could be done before Phillip's January 17 birthday. Well Services Ltd facilitated the family on a boat near the site of the collapse for Phillip's birthday earlier this year so they could hold a prayer service for him. Candacy was unable to attend due to her pregnancy.

Patricia said Candacy received some of Phillip's personal effects a few weeks ago. She believes it was recovered from the rig.