Lee wants reports on NiQuan, Paria CoE

DAVID LEE, Pointe-a-Pierre MP, on Sunday called for the publication of the reports on two explosions at the NiQuan gas-to-liquids plant and that of the commission of enquiry (CoE) into the Paria diving tragedy chaired by Kings Counsel Jerome Lynch.

He was addressing a briefing at the Opposition Leader's office in Port of Spain.

"The reports of the two disasters that happened at NiQuan – one in April 2021 and the recent one in June, with the death of Mr Ramkissoon – we have been calling on those reports to be laid in Parliament or be presented to the JSC on Energy to be fleshed out and to really understand what were the issues that caused the blast, and if NiQuan has corrected those measures for the safety of the country, and my constituents especially, in the Marabella area and Battoo Avenue."

Allanlane Ramkissoon, a pipefitter with Massy Energy, died in an accident at the NiQuan plant on June 15.

Lee wanted these reports to be laid in Parliament before NiQuan becomes operational, notwithstanding questions over whether it could access a gas supply, "So we could have an understanding of what took place."

Lee hoped that at an upcoming media briefing on Wednesday, Lynch would explain the cause of delays in his completing his report for the CoE.

He said 550 days after the tragedy, the victims' families now deserved some sort of closure, through the publication of the report.

Lee said Lynch last January had originally said he wanted to provide closure. Lee said Lynch had originally planned to complete the report by Easter (Easter Sunday was April 9), then that would be done by August, and recently asked for a new completion date of November 30.

On February 25, 2022, divers Rishi Nagassar, Kazim Ali Jr, Fyzal Kurban, Yusuf Henry and Christopher Boodram were doing maintenance work on a 30-inch underwater pipeline belonging to Paria when they were sucked into the pipeline, with Boodram the only survivor.

Lynch, in an August 28 letter, said the commission could not meet the August 31 deadline,"as there have been a number of new decisions dealing with the importance of the proper procedure to be adopted in CoEs." He said fairness must be ensured for everyone, "in particular where there are to be criticisms of individuals that may affect their careers and lead to recommendations as to criminal conduct or a potential for the breach of a duty of care."

Lee was otherwise concerned about the source of NiQuan's gas supply.

"This Government keeps changing its story when they are found out and they are caught wanting. Originally they had said the gas that would go to NiQuan for operations would come from the minister's share.

"We are now seeing it being revealed that the gas is coming from NGC supply which would normally go to the Point Lisas Industrial Estate."

He said meanwhile producers at the estate have been suffering in terms of their gas supply from NGC.

"We now see that the Upstream Downstream (Company) is owing the NGC hundreds of dollars on behalf, technically, of NiQuan."

Lee alleged NiQuan owed the NGC hundreds of millions of dollars –US$21 million.

"The hypocrisy of it is that NiQuan has now put their friends – the Government – in court to try to arbitrate to get gas.

"Look at that arbitration, because I really hope, and I do not want it to end up with what happened at the AV Drilling matter when it went to arbitration."

Oropouche East MP Dr Roodal Moonilal urged the publication of the report on the collapse of partof the highway at Mosquito Creek that he dubbed "Mosquito Crack," as he alleged a general lack of transparency by the Government.

Moonilal also called for "a complete enquiry" into the management and finances of Caribbean Airlines (CAL). Noting a CAL aircraft on a domestic flight having to turn back owing to a malfunctioning air-conditioning unit, he wondered what would have been the case if it had been on its way to Toronto, Canada.