Lawyers for DHB and oil company in talks

WHILE there has been no official report from the Ministry of Public Works or the Demerara Harbour Bridge, information coming to hand is suggesting that talks between local authorities and management of the US oil tanker which slammed into the DHB early this month are ongoing.A source has informed the Guyana Chronicle that following intense negotiations between the two sides, a slight move forward has been achieved following a brief deadlock with respect to the initial cost of the damage and who was liable.
This newspaper has learnt that lawyers for both sides have affixed their signatures to several documents pertaining to the incident. While the talks are ongoing, and will be made public after everything has been finalised, the discussions may take some time before they reach finality.
General Manager of the Demerara Harbour Bridge, Mr Rawlston Adams, during a press conference on the night of a massive shutdown and repair operation on the bridge, had indicated that the total cost of repairs to the bridge would have cost the government $20M, and that price tag was likely to go up.
Yesterday, this newspaper was not able to confirm if there was a compromise on the cost, and if the figure had been adjusted. However, Adams told the media that the company which owns the vessel has committed to paying for the damage.
The Demerara Harbour Bridge suffered extensive damage early this month, and had to be closed for repairs for several hours after a fuel tanker slammed into its structure when the pilot failed to follow the directions of the bridge’s traffic controllers.
The impact caused the bridge to be misaligned, cancelling retraction for several days, since opening it to ocean-going traffic, or even attempting retraction, would have been a very risky move, Adams had told reporters.
Among the works which had to be effected to the bridge and other supporting facilities were the locating of two clusters (the piles which were driven to protect the retractor span), fixing of four connecting posts, remedial works to a damaged pontoon and the anchorage, which was also compromised.
On the morning in question, there was one vessel scheduled to transit the bridge at the predetermined time of 05:00 hrs. At about 04:55 hrs, the vessel’s pilot was instructed to prepare to transit, and at approximately 05:15hrs, the bridge had fully retracted and the captain was instructed to go through.
As the direction to transit the bridge was communicated to the pilot, it was observed that he was not in the required position to transit the bridge. He was therefore advised to re-orient his position, since he was approaching the bridge in a diagonal position. However, the pilot reportedly ignored the advice, stating “I know what I am doing”. He was again advised to amend the position at which the vessel was approaching the bridge, but again he responded, “I know what I am doing,” when the vessel was about 800 metres from the bridge.
When about 500 metres from the bridge, the position of the vessel still had not been altered, and the pilot was again advised to properly position the vessel. His reluctance caused the vessel to hit the first cluster of piles, and it was noted that the vessel’s engine had not been engaged. After that impact, efforts were made to engage the engine, but by that time the vessel had already hit the second cluster, sending them below the water’s surface as the vessel proceeded to slam into the bridge, registering damage.
With the exception of the two missing clusters, everything went back to normal after a six-hour shutdown of the bridge to facilitate repairs in early January. The works were done under the watchful eyes of Transport and Hydraulics Minister, Robeson Benn, General Manager of Demerara Harbour Bridge, Mr Rawlston Adams; and Ministry of Public Works Engineer, Mr Walter Willis.

(By Leroy Smith)