Seafood company Pritipaul Singh Investments (PSI) has been implementing recommendations spelt out in a report on last June’s fatal trawler explosion.
A commission of inquiry set up by Transport Minister Robeson Benn had found that the company’s fleet and its operations at its headquarters at McDoom and Providence, East Bank Demerara were deficient in several areas. The commission’s recommendations pointed to the company upgrading the safety features of its operations.
An official at the company told Stabroek News on Monday that “all of the recommendations made in the inquiry last year” are being implemented. He said that the company has been putting measures in place to ensure that incidents such as last June’s are never repeated, while adding that PSI had always seen safety as being of paramount importance.
The report, which was released some five months following the Captain Lloyd 97 explosion, found that several regulations were breached. However, Agriculture Minister Robert Persaud, who has responsibility for the fisheries sector, subsequently told Stabroek News that the ministry was unaware of existing laws that would see PSI being held culpable.
According to the PSI official, who asked not to be named, at a meeting last December between the Guyana Association of Trawler Owners and Seafood Processors and officials of the Fisheries Department of the Agriculture Ministry, there had been views expressed that differed from the conclusions of the Commission of Inquiry. He said that the company determined nevertheless that several aspects of its operations needed to be upgraded. Attempts by this newspaper over the past several weeks to obtain comment from the Maritime Administration Department (MARAD) head Claudette Rogers have been futile.
The PSI official noted that several aspects of the report were redundant. He explained that areas such as training had been a “forgoing” issue frequently addressed by PSI. According to the official, PSI would train staff members when they become employees of the company. He likened his comments to those made by Labour Minister Manzoor Nadir, who told Stabroek News last December that anyone who is entering the field of work would not always have relevant experience and that some persons learn while on-the-job.
As regards Occupational Health and Safety, Brentnol Gibbs, the safety officer in charge of this aspect of the PSI’s operations, told Stabroek News that all systems were in place within the department. He noted that PSI always had a functioning safety committee, which addressed issues within its purview. As such, he noted that the company remains “unsure why the inquiry would have elaborated on this when in fact we always had a good record of our operations within the department.” Gibbs noted too that MARAD would from time to time carry out inspections of PSI’s operations to ensure that they were in compliance with the relevant safety regulations.
As regards the impact the incident and the commission’s findings may have had on production at the company, Gibbs noted that PSI has always had its customer base intact. He added that “the output and general production were not affected in any way.”
Several persons were injured on the morning of June 19 last year, when the Captain Lloyd 97 exploded several miles in the Atlantic seas, off the Waini Coast in the North West District. The vessel’s captain Delbert Williams remains missing and is presumed dead, while among the injured was Orlon Munroe, 22, who succumbed three months after the incident. He sustained second degree burns to the body, including to the torso and face, and died suddenly at the Burn Care Unit of the Georgetown Public Hospital (GPH) while being treated. The other injured crew members were George Fitzpatrick, who has been recovering from severe burns to his body, including his upper torso; Keith Adams; and Elvis Todd, who escaped the inferno with minor injuries. PSI has reportedly reached settlements with the families of the injured and deceased on the issue of compensation.
Following the investigations last year, the Commission of Inquiry found that Captain Lloyd 97 had several deficiencies at the time of the incident, including the absence of fire buckets, hand or rocket parachute flares, orange smoke signals, signal lamps and code flags. There was also no official logbook or engine-room logbook. It was also noted that no emergency station bills were posted on board. Further, the vessel had documented evidence which indicated that it had a history of a malfunctioning alternator.
Following the release of the report, the Fisheries Department stated that continued licensing of trawlers would be linked to the recommendations of the report. It also said the most stringent examination of vessels and related requirements would be done to ensure that such irregularities and deficiencies are rectified before licences are issued. It expressed deep concern about the findings of the investigating team.
