The Demerara Harbour Bridge Company (DHB) has taken legal action against the owner of the Panamanian tug that crashed into the Harbour Bridge in September and caused millions in damage.
The bridge company moved to take legal action to recover expenses from the company, which has failed to pay after the bill of expenses was submitted.
General Manager of the DHB Rawlston Adams told Stabroek News that the matter is currently being heard before the Chief Justice Roxane George-Wiltshire.
He noted that they have asked the court through their lawyer, Everton Singh-Lammy, to impound the vessel until the company clears it debts. This order was granted.
Singh- Lammy last night told Stabroek News that arguments on the matter will continue tomorrow.
Weeks after the works on the bridge were completed, the DHB submitted the cost for repairs done on the bridge to the Impex Corporation Limited, which owns and operates the tug.
The tug and a barge drifted into the bridge, which connects the eastern and western banks of Demerara, causing damage that saw the structure being closed to traffic for more than 30 hours.
The bridge administration and the Maritime Administration Department (MARAD) had to engage in emergency works to rectify the damage.
This newspaper understands that the figure for the repairs is close to $100 million given the extent of the damage.
Director of Safety at MARAD Captain John Flores had told Stabroek News that the crew of the tug admitted that the Panamanian-registered vessel was not anchored in the correct position. He said that the investigation found that the anchor broke as a result of the strong current in the river and this resulted in the vessels drifting and subsequently crashing into the bridge. If the vessel had been positioned correctly, the mishap could have been avoided, Flores said.
The crew members made several attempts to stop the vessels from drifting but their efforts were in vain, he said.
Stabroek News had previously reported that at around 12.50 am on September 2nd, the tug and barge crashed into the DHB, resulting in extensive damage. The tug, a Panamanian vessel, drifted from Grove/Diamond on the East Bank Demerara and its crew belatedly issued a distress call.
The resulting damage caused the bridge company to carry out emergency works to reconnect eight connecting posts, five sheaves, 15 shackles and 215 feet of anchor chains. The chains, were disconnected as a result of the impact when the tug and barge crashed into the bridge.
