…loading ramp
buckles under weight of
trucks
- Vehicles, passengers forced to revert
to the old Adventure stelling
Four days after a
multi-million-dollar stelling opened to
traffic in Essequibo, authorities were
yesterday forced to close operations as
a controversial roll-on/roll-off ramp
buckled under the weight of vehicles.
Yesterday, angry Essequibo residents
said that it was a clear case of poor
monitoring of the almost $600M (US$3M)
project that has been hailed by
government as a major improvement to
that county.
Calls by Kaieteur News to the offices of
the Transport and Harbours Department
yesterday afternoon went unanswered and
attempts to get explanations were
rebuffed by security officials of the
new stelling who referred the newspaper
to the Adventure stelling.
New koker door
'bruk up'
Guard
drops dead while seeking help
Operations were hurriedly shifted back
to the old Adventure stelling to cater
for the scores of vehicles that would
have been stranded at Parika and in
Region Two, Essequibo, even as technical
officials of the Ministry of Public
Works were reportedly rushed down to the
troubled area to assess the damage.
Almost 25 staffers, who were moved on
Saturday from the Adventure area in what
should have been a positive end to a
troubled construction, were yesterday
told to report back for duties to that
stelling until further notice.
The
MV Torani at the Good Hope, Supenaam
stelling yesterday. The vessel, which
was reportedly loaded around 10:00hrs,
was delayed for several hours after a
loading ramp from the new facility
folded.
The gates of the new stelling at Good
Hope, Supenaam, were locked yesterday,
shortly after 13:00hrs, and frustrated
drivers and passengers alike were told
to check with the Adventure stelling. No
reasons were given.
But sources within the Ministry of
Public Works yesterday said that
troubles with the ramp started shortly
before 10:00 hrs.
“There are two trips daily for the
ferries (to and from the stelling). The
MV Torani came and unloaded without no
problems. It was when the big trucks
were loading on back that one of the
stagemen (labourers) there noticed that
the ramp was crumbling.”
The officials at the stelling were
alerted and checks confirmed that there
was a major problem with the loading
ramp. The entire end was bent from the
weight of the vehicles, a clear
indication of faults.
According to officials, it was decided
for safety reasons not to allow any more
passengers into the stelling area and
the gates were closed. Persons and
vehicles were re-directed to the
Adventure stelling.
This latest incident is one that the
government could do without, especially
as the facility has been plagued by
troubles, since construction began about
four years ago.
Although completed two years ago, it was
not until January that tests were
conducted. Faults were found then with
the ramp. However, the facility was
handed over to government.
At the end of last month, days before
government planned its opening, the
stelling again came into the news after
a second pontoon attached to the ramp
sank. Employees of the Ministry of the
Public Works managed to salvage the
pontoon and it was re-attached last
week.
The stelling was then opened to traffic
on Saturday.
Government sources had recently
criticized the handling of the
construction of the stelling, citing
technical faults that were evident.
However, nobody seems to be taking the
blame.
Earlier this month, BK International,
the contractor had issued a statement
distancing itself from the problems of
the facility since government ‘was
satisfied’ and a Completion
Certificate had even been issued back in
January.
A close-up
of the buckled end beam of the
loading ramp of the Supenaam wharf
It is believed that in addition to the
original $574M spent on the wharf, a
hefty sum was also spent to rectify some
of the faults, especially with the ramp.
An additional pontoon (the one that
sank) was added and officials are
estimating that the final cost may have
been nearing $600M.
Earlier this week, Minister of Public
Works and Transport, Robeson Benn,
confirmed that the old stelling at
Adventure, a fixture for several decades
for travelers to and from Essequibo
Coast, had been closed and all new
stelling operations would be conducted
at the new facility at Good Hope,
Supenaam.
The stelling would have been a major
ease for travelers to and from the
Region Two area, as commuting time using
the MV Malali or one of the other
ferries was expected to cut travel down
by at least 90 minutes. Additionally,
fuel costs for the ferries would have
been reduced significantly.
Before Saturday, travelers from
Adventure would have had to endure
almost five hours on the ferries.
In a statement earlier this month, BK
International said that it completely
handed over the facility to Government
since January.
As a matter of fact, said Egan Bazilio,
an official of the company, in a letter
to this newspaper, two Ministers of
Government and other stakeholders were
present in January when the structure
was successfully tested with an 18-ton
vehicle.
The firm said that the sunken pontoon
was not part of the design of the
stelling and “thus was not built or
placed by BK International Inc.”
The Company noted that the persons who
were working on the pontoon that sank
were not any of their staffers.
“BK International Inc. built the
stelling according to the design and
full compliance with all technical
specifications. The original design and
construction was for a roll-on/roll-off
gangway. BK International engineers are
of the view that the ferry stage (ramp)
should be extended, not the gangway. The
ferry stage may also be replaced.
According to BK, modification of the
structure should not have proceeded
without consultation with the design and
construction firms.
Wednesday, May 12,
2010
