The owner of the tug and barge that crashed into the Demerara Harbour Bridge in December last year has to date paid twenty per cent of the repair cost.
Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Demerara Harbour Bridge Company, Ravi Ramcharitar, told the Sunday Stabroek that the payments are being made and upon the agreement, an initial sum was paid.
Stabroek News understands that subsequent payments are to be made every three months until the entire sum is paid off. The bridge company is hopeful that the owner, Deonarine Sookram, will complete the payments by the end of this year.
Back in January, the parties had arrived at an agreement in which the owner committed to “standing the cost of repairs” carried out on the bridge subsequent to the crash.
Stabroek News understands that the cost of the repairs is pegged at $16 million.
On December 9 at 4.38 pm, the tug and barge collided with the southern section of the Demerara Harbour Bridge at its incline.
Immediately after the crash, the bridge was closed to vehicular traffic and after some interventions, at approximately 5.40 pm, the bridge was reopened to light vehicular traffic.
Minister of Public Works Juan Edghill had previously said preliminary investigations indicate that the tug and the barge were attempting to cross under the bridge before 6pm. He noted that from what his technical officers related, this was not supposed to be done since the current was not in their favour. He stated that as the vessels approached the bridge they lost control and crashed into spans 30, 31, and 32.
The barge, which was captained by Dale Andrews Green and loaded with bauxite, was heading to John Fernandes wharf in Georgetown.
As a result of the crash, the bridge was shifted out of alignment. During the repairs, seven anchor chains were reconnected and a buoy was replaced.
Just over a year ago, a Panamanian tug had crashed into the bridge resulting in its closure for approximately 30 hours. The tug and a barge had drifted and a MARAD investigation found that they had not been anchored in the proper position.
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.
The figure for the repairs was close to $100 million given the extent of the damage, but when the bill was submitted to Impex Corporation Limited, which owns and operates the tug, it refused to honour its commitment to compensate for the damage.
As a result, a lawsuit was filed against the corporation. The matter is still being heard before Chief Justice Roxane George-Wiltshire.
