Repairs to a section of the Good Hope Stelling that faltered on Monday afternoon were expected to be completed late yesterday afternoon.
Transport Minister Robeson Benn told Stabroek News that around 9 am yesterday, ministry workers were successful in repairing the front section of the drawbridge, which had slipped out after its hinges broke while a vehicle was being loaded onto the MB Sandaka on Monday afternoon.
As a result, there was a build up of traffic and several motorists were left stranded on the Essequibo Coast on Monday evening, as the MV Torani, which was rerouted to the Adventure Stelling following the incident, could only transport a small number of vehicles.
MB Sandaka was expected to transport several of the laden trucks from the Good Hope facility but it too was stranded.
Benn said the works were expected to be fully completed on the structure late yesterday afternoon. This newspaper understands that a team of engineers from the Demerara Harbour Bridge (DHB) Corporation travelled to the area to assist in carrying out emergency repairs to the damaged structure.
Persons on the Essequibo Coast reiterated calls for the Adventure facility berth to be used instead of the Good Hope facility since the newer structure remained handicapped, with the instituted weight requirement being an area of concern to the business community there.
On Monday, Benn said that because there was a high tide at the time of the incident, the support to the barge “bounced out.” He stated too that the authorities will be making a complete change of the barge with a different design.
Last month, the Ministry of Public Works and Communi-cation said it had conducted a successful trial run of the stelling. The agency, in a Government Information Agency (GINA) release, reported that a practice run on the facility lasted for approximately 40 minutes and saw the offloading of 18 vehicles that were predominantly trucks, most of which were in the 10 to 15 tonne range. The ministry noted then that there were some remaining minor issues at the facility which were being addressed.
The ferry stelling was completed to the tune of $431 million of contract approved funds. An additional $17.2 million was spent by the Ministry of Public Works in modification works, Benn had said. The modifications included a drawbridge and a pontoon, both of which Benn said were “absolutely necessary” because the ministry took over the stelling “with great concerns. The administration spent a further $50 million this year on repairs to make the stelling operational. Stabroek News has made numerous attempts over the past several months to obtain information from the Office of the Prime Minister on the findings of a report submitted by engineers Bert Carter and Marcel Gaskin in mid-2010 which gave an analysis of the stelling’s design, faults associated with the structure and corrective measures. It also included information on the inputs of several relevant stakeholders, including Cana-dian company SNC Lavalin, which designed the stelling, construction company BK International and the ministries of Local Government and Public Works, prior to the unveiling of the berth last year.
The team also made recommendations which were expected to be utilised in correcting the flaws at the stelling in anticipation of two Chinese roll-on, roll-off vessels which are being sourced from China. The vessels are expected to be completed before the end of this year and will ply the Essequibo River routes served by the Transport & Harbours Department (T&HD).
Construction firm BK International and the Public Works Ministry had blamed each other for the problems with the stelling, following the collapse of the end beam of its loading ramp when it was unveiled during the first quarter of last year .The Works Ministry denied that it was to be blamed for the state of the stelling and said it was the T&HD that took over a facility “which was inadequate to handle the typical flotation as well as the arrangement to get onto the vessel for the heavy truck traffic from the Essequibo.”
