Is terrorism our greatest threat?

THE EDITOR: FFOS finds it very fitting that on September 11th the US Ambassador to TT warned of a possible terrorism threat when earlier this month the World Markets Research Centre and a US counter-terrorism official rated TT as the Caribbean country facing the highest risk from terrorist attacks (The Gleaner, Jamaica, August 31st). While we appreciate the Ambassador’s warning, we should also be equally concerned of the likelihood that we may fall victim to acts of negligence as well as acts of terrorism. Although foreign oil and gas interests are usually prime targets for sabotage, as in the case in war torn Iraq, FFOS believes it is far more likely that we may see a repeat of the Petrotrin accident that we witnessed in Barrackpore on Monday September 8 as a result of pipeline neglect.

The fact is people are often oblivious to pipeline locations as many are dangerously undefined. Old pipelines are sometimes forgotten and left to corrode. Accidental damage often occurs because unknowingly constructions crew could easily rupture pipelines criss-crossing underground during digging operations. If Monday’s explosion came from the rupture of a 6-inch pipeline, what kind of massive explosion can we expect from the rupture of a 36-inch, 40-inch or 48-inch pipeline accident, such as the ones currently utilized in our offshore platforms and on our land? While  terrorist attacks may be a possibility for any country, a major accident within our booming energy industry is a much more pressing, and immediate, concern.

GARY ABOUD
Secretary
FFOS