Deonarine Sookram, owner of the tug and barge that crashed into the Demerara Harbour Bridge Corporation in December last year, resulting in damage, has settled his debt to the bridge company for repairs.
A statement issued by the Demerara Harbour Bridge Corporation (DHBC) on Wednesday said the owner has cleared off the outstanding balance. A total sum of $16.3 million was paid to the DHBC for damage. In February, this newspaper reported that 20% of the cost was paid to the bridge upon the signing of a payment agreement.
The agreement was signed between the Demerara Harbour Bridge Corporation and Sookram with a payment plan which required Sookram to make an initial payment upon signing and the balance in quarterly installments until full payment was made.
“The Demerara Harbour Bridge Corporation would like to express thanks to Mr. Deonarine Sookram for his commitment to fulfilling these obligations and bringing closure to this matter,” the statement said.
On December 9, 2020, 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 the 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 before the court.
