https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trinidad_Petroleum_Holdings#Paria_Fuel_Trading_Company_diving_tragedy
Of course, there is no direct admittance of “we knew it would be cheaper to let them die.”
Instead, they say “we had no legal obligation to rescue them.” That’s the answer for the people who were born yesterday.
Big oil truly is a disgusting thing.
I worked on pipelines for part of my career in maintenance planning, not in construction. I’ve been trying to guess at how a rescue operation could have been attempted in this case. I’m not aware of any mechanism for cutting into the pipe at the depth the divers were stuck that wouldn’t immediately result in flooding the pipe, or risk cutting through the divers. The only rescue option that I could guess at is divers going in from the end of the pipe, swimming down through the length of it, and somehow pulling the trapped divers out.
Maybe the owner/state should have let rescuers give it a try, but that rescue option sounds terrifying as hell.
Thanks. I actually don’t know much about pipelines or diving.
I kind of assumed that it would be possible to cut into the pipe to free the divers. Since it’s such a large pipe, I don’t think cutting through the divers is a big concern. But, I’m not sure what depth this pipe is located at. While having a ton of water rush into you is not ideal, if it’s not so deep that they are crushed by the pressure or can’t resurface before running out of breath, then it seems like that would’ve been that appropriate solution.
It seems to me that the company thought it would be cheaper to flush the bodies out with water than to cut into the pipe and have to repair it later.
“Maybe”?
I meant “maybe” in the context of it seeming like a significant gamble to attempt the rescue. It certainly doesn’t always work out for the potential rescuers. https://slate.com/technology/2013/05/rescuers-turning-into-victims-lessons-from-first-responders-on-saving-people.html
So my hedging with the word “maybe” is because I certainly don’t have the expertise to know the risks with attempting the rescue, but then again “maybe” any potential rescuers shouldn’t have asked for permission.