— to facilitate increase in maritime activities, growth in business — PSC tells government

PRESIDENT, Dr. Irfaan Ali, and Minister of Public Works Juan Edghill on Sunday visited the section of the Demerara Habour Bridge that was hit by a fuel tanker to inspect the “significant” repairs already done, and to get a first-hand update on the situation which has disrupted commute for thousands.

Minister Edghill, who was the first to visit, said teams of workers will continue with emergency repair works in an effort to return the bridge to functionality.

During his visit, he stated that everything that needs to be in place has been put in place, and that works will continue to have the bridge back in operation in the shortest possible time.

President Ali and a team later visited the location. Engineers and other officials who were on site informed the Head of State of all the work that has been done thus far, and other works that are required to return the bridge to its normal state.

Subsequently, Minister Edghill, on his official Facebook page, revealed that the instruments of appointment were handed out to the members of the Board of Inquiry (BoI) which was established to investigate the incident.

The BoI comprises of Captain Joseph Lewis, Maritime Administration Department (MARAD)’s legal officer, Thandi McAllister, Youland Hughes, Lieutenant Colonel David Shamshudeen, Patrick Thompson, Dimitri Ally and Inspector Ross of the Marine Department of the Guyana Police Force.

On Saturday, October 8, around 02:00hrs, the MV Tradewind Passion, a ship which was consigned by GuyOil to transport fuel, which also carries a Panamanian flag, crashed into the bridge.

The ship was supposed to traverse in a southerly direction to pass through the opening of the bridge. However, it went in a southeasterly direction and hit the bridge at Spans Nine and Ten with its front and rear.

As a result of the impact, the two spans of the bridge shifted some 45 degrees out of alignment. The collision sent a number of workers, who were on the bridge at the time for routine maintenance, scampering. One staff, Andrew Duke, who was communicating with the vessel via radio up until the point of collision, sustained a fractured leg, and is presently hospitalised.

CONCERNED
Meanwhile, the Private Sector Commission (PSC) last evening expressed concern at the increasing number of accidents involving the bridge.

“In light of another significant accident where a marine vessel crashed into the aged Demerara Harbour Bridge, the Private Sector Commission expresses grave concern, and calls on all captains and operators of vessels traversing the Demerara River to take maximum precaution to avoid accidents, especially when in the vicinity of the Demerara Harbour Bridge,” the Commission said in a press release.

The organisation pointed out that thousands of Guyanese depend on the bridge to go about their daily lives, and hundreds of millions of dollars is lost daily when the bridge is out of commission.

It added, “Over the past few weeks, there have been significant damages sustained to the bridge due to barges hitting the infrastructure. We are fearful that the frequency of this situation can eventually lead to the Harbour Bridge becoming compromised, and out of service for extended periods, causing a national disaster, especially in the context of the major developmental projects that are taking place on both sides of the river.”

Further, the PSC said it is fully aware that increased marine traffic, because of the oil and gas industry, exponentially increases the risk of such accidents.

In this regard, it said, it is imploring “the Government of Guyana to assiduously pursue the highly anticipated New Demerara River Bridge,” adding: “It is evident that Guyana needs this project to allow for the passage of larger vessels which are required for the proper functioning of the Oil & Gas sector as well as the traditional ones.”

The release added that the PSC envisages that a modern four-lane solid-state bridge will lead to faster economic growth, and maximum utilisation of resources on both sides of the river, as there will be 24-hour access daily, thereby positively impacting private sector business, and the lives of the citizenry.

“The Commission takes this opportunity to urge all regulatory agencies to do better. As we await the findings of the investigation underway, we urge that better systems be put in place to ensure safer operation of this important infrastructure. It is our expectation that the Maritime Administration Department will take a more proactive approach in supervision on the bridge,” it added.