radhica.sookraj@guardian.co.tt
Diver Rishi Nagassar is being hailed a hero.
A year ago, Nagassar, 48, risked his life to save other colleagues when an explosion rocked Paria Fuel Trading’s No. 2 Berth at Pointe-a-Pierre in July 2021.
But sadly, nobody was there to save him on February 25 when he and three other divers were sucked into a 30-inch diameter pipeline at Berth No 6. They all died.
Nagassar, a father of three, was the last to be found, and possibly the last to have died judging from the condition of his body. A private autopsy is expected to be conducted to determine the time of death.
On Tuesday, for the first time, details of Nagassar’s involvement in the July 2021 rescue mission were made public when the Oilfields Workers’ Trade Union held a candlelight vigil in honour of the dead divers.
Friends, relatives and colleagues of Nagassar and the other divers, lined the Roundabout in batches of 25, where Paria Fuel Trading Company Limited has been operating since the closure of Petrotrin in 2018.
Speaking to Guardian Media, OWTU’s branch president Christopher Jackman accused Paria of having a poor safety record saying under its watch multiple safety violations have occurred which left at least two workers maimed.
Jackman said in 2021, an explosion occurred at No11 sealine at Berth 2.
“Reports were that there was an explosion. A large fire erupted which threw persons into the water. Rishi was one of the divers that assisted in recovering persons in the water. Paria claimed it was caused by a grounding fault but investigations are still ongoing apparently,” Jackman said.
He added, “A worker lost his leg in that explosion at No.11 sealine at No 2 Berth. To this date, we have no conclusion for that investigation, no resolution. We cannot allow a repeat of incidents like this. We will insist on making these matters public until there is a change in the management and a change in the systems,” Jackman said.
He also said the explosion at Berth No 2, and the subsequent deaths of the four divers on February 25, were not the only incidents to occur.
He said in July 2021, LMCS also had a mishap at its fabrication yard which resulted in a worker being hurt.
“I would like to ask Paria, in July 2021, was an investigation done into an employee of LMCS who lost his leg at an incident at the contractor’s fabrication yard. Was this reported to OSH? What intervention was made on the worker’s behalf? Has the order been completed? Has an investigation from July to present been concluded?”
Jackman said the OWTU will continue to hold vigils to keep the issue burning.
He said if action had been taken after the first two mishaps, the divers would have been alive today.
He noted, “If we allow this issue to die a natural death in the next two, three, four or five months, there will be another incident again so we need to demand changes in management and changes in the way systems operate.”
Guardian Media has sent a list of questions to Paria asking for information on the two accidents, the explosion at Berth No 2 and the accident at LMCS’s fabrication yard. There has been no response.
Meanwhile, the funeral of Yusuff Henry will take place at 1 pm today in Valencia following which he will be buried at the La Turura cemetery in Sangre Grande. Nagassar’s funeral is still being finalised.
