By Sue-Ann Wayow
THE Trinidad and Tobago Coast Guard (TTCG) assumed authority over the rescue operation for the four underwater divers who died in February from Paria Fuel Trading Company Ltd.
And it is the opinion of LMCS’s supervisor Dexter Guerra that they were there at Berth #6 on February 25, to ensure that Paria’s instructions that no one was to dive inside the hyperbaric chamber or pipeline to retrieve the missing men were carried out.
Guerra told the Commission of Enquiry (CoE) on Thursday that although LMCS had their rescue plan when Fyzal Kurban, Kazim Ali Jr, Rishi Nagassar, Yusuf Henry and Christopher Boodram went missing at Berth #6, he received instruction to not do anything to potentially save the men.
Additionally, although there were several other divers from other companies who had arrived at the berth to lend their assistance, they too were prevented from diving into the pipeline to get the men.
Guerra said his instruction came via a telephone call from Paria’s Terminal Manager Collin Piper.
CoE’s chair Jerome Lynch, KC, asked Guerra if there was any rescue plan before Boodram came out of the pipe.
Guerra said there was a plan in place for him and another LMCS employee Andrew Farrah to dive down into the hyperbaric chamber to attempt get the men who were missing.
But when Boodram came out of the pipe, the divers on the berth learnt about the air pockets inside the pipe.
Lynch asked about the other divers who arrived with other equipment which would allow a diver inside the pipe to communicate with those outside.
“Why was that not done,” Lynch asked.
“Beats me,” Guerra answered. I have no idea,” he added.
“Well help me,” Lynch pressed.
“Why do you say it was not done,” he further asked.
Guerra then answered, “Because we were denied.”
Lynch asked, “Denied by whom?”
Guerra said, “By Paria.”
Lynch asked Guerra who he spoke to and Guerra said he spoke to Piper by telephone who called him
He told Lynch, “He (Piper) called me and told me and in his words, we are not to do anything, that the Coast Guard is taking over.”
Guerra had that conversation with Piper before Boodram came out of the pipe.
This meant LMCS was not to go into the hyperbaric chamber nor the pipe, he said.
He later spoke to Piper via Paria’s Acting Technical Lead Catherine Balkissoon.
She told Guerra that LMCS did not have permission to do any diving and although he asked if a rescue could be done at some time, she called to enquire and the answer was still no.
Lynch asked, “Did the Coast Guard assume responsibility for the rescue.”
Guerra responded not to his knowledge.
Lynch also asked if the Coast Guard had any divers and Guerra said, “No one in dive gears.”
Guerra said he also did not speak with the Coast Guard, who mainly communicated with Paria officials.
Lynch also asked if the Coast Guard ever tried to interfere with LMCS’s efforts to try to effect a rescue.
Guerra said that the Coast Guard seemed to be guarding the railing preventing anyone from going to the chamber standing with guns while Paria continued to give the orders that no one was to enter the chamber.
He said the Coast Guard did not interfere with LMCS’s subsequent actions.
Lynch ended his first round of questioning by asking, “At some stage, it appears as there were many, many different divers on that barge (yes) and on the berth from different companies (yes) answering to the call for help (yes). Were any of them permitted to effect a rescue?
Guerra replied, “ No.”
Attorney for the families of Fyzal Kurban and Yusuf Henry Prakash Ramadhar continued to question Guerra, enquiring about the actual role of the Coast Guard.
Guerra said that the Coast Guard did not take any steps to actually enter the chamber or the pipe.
He also admitted having fear of the Coast Guard armed with guns.
“ We did not want to aggravate nobody otherwise they would have moved us off the site.”
Ramadhar asked if that was an authority he believed that he could easily dismiss to which Paria’s attorney Gilbert Peterson, SC, interjected.
Peterson asked, “What is the benefit of this line of cross-examination except sensationalism?”
Ramadhar retaliated, “With all due respect to my learned friend, this is a very sensational issue, that four men were permitted to die under the authority of the state and others…”
Lynch also interjected, “It is perfectly reasonable line of enquiry.”
He referred to his previous questioning as to whether the Coast Guard physically prevented a possible rescue.”
“ My understanding from this witness is that they did not physically do that, their mere presence may have been interpreted rightly or wrongly but they didn’t physically prevent anyone from doing so,” Lynch said.
Ramadhar asked one more question to Guerra.
“Did you believe that the Coast Guard was there to enforce the instruction from Paria?”
Guerra said, “My opinion, yes.”
