Rig 110 collapses off Trinidad, one worker missing

On Sunday, a jackup rig partially fell off the coast of Trinidad, wounding one worker and leaving another missing.

At around 0300 hours on Sunday morning, Rig 110 was drilling at a site in the Heritage Offshore East Field when a portion of the deck fell. There were 75 persons on board at the time of the event; one was hurt in the collapse and got medical treatment, according to local media. The rig was evacuated following the collapse.

One worker, Pete Phillip, 45, is still missing. The Trinidad and Tobago Coast Guard responded to the area with the cutter TTS Port of Spain, the OSV Atlantic Star, and eight other support vessels, and the hunt for Phillip continues. The SAR team reports that dive operations are underway to hunt for the underwater wreckage.

Heritage Petroleum Company Ltd., the field’s operator, has established an incident command centre at its marine base in Point Fortin with 25 staff. This crew arranged the rig’s evacuation and continues to provide drone observation and reaction support following the collapse.

Phillip’s wife told the Trinidad Daily Express that she and her four children eagerly await his safe return.

“The kids are constantly begging for their father. They’re merely asking whether they can find him. “He was supposed to come home Christmas morning,” Candacy Phillip told the Daily Express.

Well Services Petroleum Company, an offshore service corporation in Trinidad and Tobago, has Rig 110, its largest offshore rig asset. The corporation has not yet issued a public statement regarding the casualty.