Calamity at sea: Missing man's family in pain after rig collapses

DIVERS are searching for  Pete Phillip of Well Services Petroleum Co Ltd, who was the only person unaccounted for after calamity struck on Rig 110, around 3.09 am on December 22.

The rig, which is owned and operated by Well Services Petroleum Co Ltd, partially collapsed into the sea, in the Heritage Offshore East Field, off the southwestern peninsula, sending workers on board in panic mode.

Apart from Phillip, one other employee was injured in the incident. He was reportedly in stable condition.

A statement issued by Well Services said there were 75 workers on the rig at the time of the incident. Drilling was taking place.

“The incident resulted in one injury with the injured individual currently in stable condition and receiving medical care. All other personnel have been safely evacuated from the rig.”

Well Services said it is in contact with the family of the missing worker and “providing all necessary support and assistance in this period of uncertainty.”

The company did not give names or any other information about the workers who were missing and injured.

The missing worker was subsequently identified as Phillip, 47.

Praying for a miracle

When Newsday visited Phillip’s home at George Street, La Romaine, relatives were distraught.

Phillip and his wife Kandasie have four children. He  was expected to complete his shift offshore in time to be home for Christmas Day.

Kandasie said, “This morning, his sister and brother were here and some friends and they said that he is missing. He’s the only one they can’t find.”

Asked if anyone had updated her about the situation, she said, “They said the Coast Guard is searching.”

She said her children had been asking about their father for the entire day.

Despite the length of time he has been missing, she is praying for a miracle.

Another relative wanted an investigation into the incident and claimed there were similarities with the 2022 Paria diving tragedy, which claimed the lives of four men.

Videos of the rig that were posted on social media through unofficial sources showed the derrick of the rig in the water and the rig tilting. The videos were taken before and after dawn from vessels in the area.

In one video that was taken before dawn, on board a vessel which appeared to be operated by Well Services, a man was heard saying, “This is what happen with we here. The derrick came down on we. Everybody in the water. Lord Father, Jesus Christ!”

Another person is heard telling others to put their ID cards in bags for safekeeping.

On its Facebook page on Sunday, the Oilfields Workers Trade Union (OWTU) Pointe-a-Pierre branch said, “Hearing the missing person is trapped but alive. Prayers go out for his safe rescue.”

However, Well Services denied this and said such reports were false.

The rig was formerly owned by Trinmar, the marine subsidiary of the now-defunct state oil company Petrotrin.

Energy Ministry launches probe

In a statement, Energy Minister Stuart Young said, “This unfortunate incident occurred in the early hours of this morning. I received my first briefing at around 3.30 a.m.

“I am aware that the rig is owned and operated by private sector, Well Services. We are assisting via Heritage (Petroleum) and will render whatever assistance we can.”

The ministry is liaising with both Heritage Petroleum and Well Services.

Young said, “At this time, the incident is under investigation.”

A second statement issued by the Energy Ministry said Young met with relatives of Phillip at the Trinmar marine base in Point Fortin later in the day and “offered his prayers and words of support to the family members present at this difficult time.”

Young received in-person briefings on the ongoing incident management.

The ministry said it would appoint a team to do "a detailed investigation of the incident and to prepare and submit a comprehensive report of the findings of the investigation.”

The ministry added it currently has a team on the ground monitoring the response operations along with teams from the Occupational Safety and Health Authority (OSHA), Well Services and Heritage.

In a separate statement, Heritage said it is fully supporting Well Services in its response to the incident at Rig 110.

The company said the rig was operating within its offshore acreage.

“Heritage personnel are on-site and in constant contact with Well Services in relation to the continuing management of this incident.”

Sources said Well Service workers were off-site while Heritage and Well Services senior personnel were on site, involved in the ongoing incident management.

Checks suggested that Rig 110 is a 42-year-old rig built by Trinity Beaumont in Beaumont, Texas, in 1981. It has reportedly been known by other names in its lifespan such as Hercules 110, The 110, RBF 110 and Cliff Drilling 110.

Well Services is a local drilling contractor that provides drilling and workover services for offshore and onshore projects, as well as workshop repair services. The company has provided drilling services for several oil companies since its inception in 1967.

Some of those companies were BP, Trinmar, Repsol and Shell.

Rig 110 is one of four rigs which Well Services operates in TT. The others are Rigs 80, 60 and 4.

Well Services also operates Rig 70 in the Nickerie block in Suriname, together with another local company, Decker Petroleum Marketing Company..

The last known accident which involved an oil rig happened on April 10, 2023, when a small fire happened on Trinity Exploration & Production’s Bravo platform off Trinidad’s east coast.

Two of the four workers on that platform suffered minor burns and all four were treated for smoke inhalation. All of them were safely evacuated. Damage to the rig was minimal and its structure was not compromised.

The Hunters Search and Rescue Team unofficially joined in the search for Phillip but were warned not to get close to the perimeter set-up, as divers were searching the area.

Hunters Search and Rescue Team captain Vallence Rambharat said they used boats to circle the area.

With respect to accidents that involved assets formerly owned by Petrotrin or any of its subsidiaries, the Rig 110 incident is the second since the Paria diving tragedy.

On February 25, 2022, five divers – Christopher Boodram, Kazim Ali Jnr, Fyzal Kurban, Yusuf Henry and Rishi Nagassar – were repairing a 30-inch pipeline at Paria’s Pointe-a-Pierre facility when they were sucked into it.

Only Boodram survived.

Paria and Heritage are two of the companies which fall under Trinidad Petroleum Holdings Ltd (TPHL), which was created after Petrotrin was restructured in November 2018.