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Barge owners to pay over $100M for damage to Harbour Bridge
The owners of the tug and barge that rammed into the Demerara Harbour Bridge last month will have to repay over $100M to Government for repairs to the damaged structure.
This section of the bridge had to be strapped with cables to keep it from separating.
Minister of Public Infrastructure, David Patterson told Kaieteur News yesterday that the bill has already been submitted to the owners of the vessels.
Patterson said that the Panama-registered barge remains impounded in Guyana.
“I also asked the Demerara Harbour Bridge lawyers to file civil suit against them. That will be added to the bridge cost,” Patterson said.
He had indicated that the owners would also be billed for revenue lost when the bridge was out of operation, and for damage to a woman’s car.
It was on Monday, September 2, that a tug, Marina Oceanic and a barge, manned by Cubans, and registered in Panama, rammed into the Demerara Harbour Bridge, badly damaging the 40-year-old structure and leaving hundreds of commuters stranded for several hours.
The bridge remained inoperable for almost 36 hours.
Initial reports had suggested that the vessels had drifted and slammed into the bridge after the crew experienced mechanical problems while anchoring in the Grove/Diamond area of the river.
But sources close to the investigation said that it appeared that the individuals operating the tug had shut the engine off, and anchored the vessel “out of the anchorage point” (in an area where vessels are prohibited from anchoring)
It is believed that the crew wanted to be among the first to pass when the bridge was opened for vessels to traverse. However, they apparently didn’t reckon with the strong tides.
“They may have wanted to be first when the bridge opens, (but) the current and the force of the water pushed them into the bridge and they lost control of the tug,” a source had said.
The Maritime Administration Department (MARAD) has since recommended several stringent regulations for vessels traversing the nation’s rivers.
MARAD officials explained that there are already regulations in place, which require the captains of vessels to notify authorities 72 hours before they come into port.
“But now, they will have to also send information about the registration of the vessel, whether it is insured, whether the captain has a certified Master’s Licence; and whether the crew is also licensed.”
This also goes for vessels that are going beyond the Harbour Bridge.
MARAD is also seeking to ensure that all barges are piloted by tugs that are adequate in size.
“Most barges can’t be operated by themselves. The size of the barge must correspond with the size of the tug. Some also need two tugs. ”
MARAD is proposing that the owners of vessels notify officials about the size of tugs, which they require to haul vessels.
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