Company to cover DHB repair costs following barge collision – Min Edghill

Spans 12 and 13 of the Demerara Harbour Bridge (DHB) sustained minor damages after a tug and a barge drifted and collided with the structure on Sunday evening.
The incident which occurred around 19:30h affected the bridge’s operations, sparking immediate response efforts from all stakeholders.
Various teams including the Guyana Defence Force Coast Guard and the Maritime Administration Department (MARAD) were mobilised to address the situation. The barge was subsequently removed and the situation was under control.
This recent mishap has led to an investigation undertaken by the Maritime Administration Department (MARAD) to determine the cause of the incident and whether the tug pushing the barge had sufficient control, given its heavy load of steel plates.

In a social media post, Public Works Minister Juan Edghill disclosed that technical experts will also inspect the bridge and ensure it remains in good working condition, while the new bridge is being constructed.
“As it relates to trucks, we are releasing them at intervals to ensure that the weight on the damaged section is minimal and we don’t compromise anything further until we can do a full inspection…we are sending down divers to see exactly if the anchors have been dislodged and what needs to be done,” Edghill said.
The Minister also stated that the company responsible for the collision will have to pay for the repairs. The barge and tug are reportedly attached to the company that is constructing the new DHB.

However, the General Manager of the Demerara Harbour Bridge Corporation, Wayne Watson on Monday reassured the public it was safe to travel on the bridge.
“At this time, we can safely say that it is safe for transiting and all of our programmes. At this initial stage, we can conclude that there will be a minimal obstruction to traffic either river or vehicle traffic along the bridge,” he said.
No injuries were reported.

Previous damage
In October 2022, a portion of the Demerara Harbour Bridge was damaged when the MV Tradewind Passion, a ship consigned by GuyOil to transport fuel crashed into the bridge.
The ship, which was supposed to drive in a southern direction to pass through the opening of the bridge, instead drove in a south-easterly direction and hit Spans Nine and 10 with its front and rear.
This resulted in the two spans of the bridge shifting some 45 degrees out of alignment.
The collision sent several DHB workers, who were on the bridge at the time, literally running for their lives.
Following assiduous work by the DHB staff and support from the private sector, the bridge was then reopened to vehicles weighing up to 12 tonnes a few days after and it was later announced that vehicles weighting up to 18 tonnes would be able to cross the bridge under special conditions.
In 2023, the spans were replaced following an investment of $1.2 billion made by the Guyana Government.
The replacement of span nine was a massive undertaking that could not be done while traffic was flowing. The removal of the existing span will leave a significant gap in the bridge.