Straight from the source: Hugo Chavez tweets semisub sinking. Photo: FERNANDO LLANO

Aban Pearl reported trouble last year

Aban Offshore's Aban Pearl semi-submersible drilling rig that sank into the Caribbean early this morning almost sunk off Trinidad & Tobago last year.

13 May 2010 19:01 GMT Updated 13 May 2010 19:01 GMT

By Anthea Pitt, Gareth Chetwynd, Noah Brenner and wire reports

The Aker H-3 design rig was built in 1977 by Far East Levingston at the Levingston Singapore shipyard.

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