A Ministry of Energy investigation into the deadly June 2023 fire at NiQuan Gas to Liquids plant, which a High Court judge ordered be made public, found “inadequate leadership and supervision” led to the incident.
The fire resulted in the death of Massy Energy Engineered Solutions Ltd pipe fitter Allanlane Ramkissoon.
The report detailed multiple failings that contributed to the accident, including inadequate training, incomplete procedures, and critical safety checks that were overlooked. Ramkissoon, 35, was removing a nitrogen hose while awaiting a steam hose when a fire erupted near the condenser attached to the facility’s fractionation column.
There were no instructions to close the valve before the hose was detached and abnormal wax tank conditions may have caused hydrocarbon vapours to backflow and ignite, the report said.
On June 6, Justice Avason Quinlan-Williams quashed the Ministry of Energy’s decision to withhold the investigative report into the matter.
Justice Quinlan-Williams ruled that the ministry had not presented sufficient evidence to justify its decision. She found that there was significant public interest warranting disclosure.
The report was laid in Parliament yesterday by Energy Minister Dr Roodal Moonilal, who said it was intended to bring transparency to the matter and provide Ramkissoon’s family with a full account of what occurred.
He slammed the former government for how Ramkissoon’s widow was treated during the ordeal.
“When the ministry under Port-of-Spain North St Ann’s/West (MP) was busy paying the lawyers to fight a case not to disclose this report in my hand, they never gave a hamper, a dollar, one iota of assistance to the family of deceased Allanlane Ramkissoon. So, the lawyers went with over $50,000, $60,000 and Mrs Ramkissoon never got one hamper, one. And she, of course, had to pay her counsel to take up the matter,” Moonilal lamented.
He said the legal matter arose because the widow sought judicial review of the decision by the ministry not to disclose.
“Before April 28, it was indeed the former prime minister and minister. The Ministry of Energy paid for this one court matter, over $60,000, to deny the widow of Allanlane Ramkissoon the right to access the report on the accident of her husband for the information,” the minister explained.
The report also stated that the drill records process at NiQuan Energy Trinidad Ltd, which is in receivership, was unsatisfactory. It said a total of five drills were conducted from 2020 to 2023.
The report further stated that prior to the incident, the plant was not meeting expected production rates and product quality, and there was instability of the fractionating column.
“Two Subject Matter Experts were reportedly brought in to assist with this challenge but were unable to view the plant working at full capacity due to the gas curtailment. It is unclear whether they participated in the drafting of the management of change documents or were included in the plans for the plant modification, as all documents used were generated by NETL,” the report stated.
It also revealed three of the operators on duty at the time were trainees. The documentation had listed the task as high-risk and requiring a harness, but there was no record of Ramkissoon being outfitted with one. The fire alarm was not triggered, the emergency contact number was not in service, and night-shift workers had never been included in drills. It took nearly an hour for an ambulance to arrive.
In a statement yesterday, Anand Ramlogan SC, who represented Ramkissoon’s widow, said he was pleased that Moonilal has seen fit to disclose the investigative report.
“Former energy minister Stuart Young should hang his head in shame for breaking his promise to this poor family. He promised to disclose this report and then backpedalled on it when the public outrage died down because he probably thought she could not afford to sue him to get it,” Ramlogan said.