DHB to close for 24 hours for emergency works

…speedboats to operate on 24-hour basis

The Demerara Harbour Bridge will be closed for 24 hours from Saturday evening to facilitate emergency works.
In a notice issued on Wednesday afternoon, the Public Works Ministry said the closure would take place during the period Sunday, February 26 from 03:00h (3:00am) to Monday, February 27 at 03:00h (3:00am).
According to the Public Works Ministry, these works have become critical after the Panama-registered oil tanker MV Tradewind Passion crashed into the bridge in October 2022 and rendered it inoperable for several days.

The Ministry has since assured citizens that this inconvenience is “absolutely” necessary at this time to ensure the structural integrity of the bridge for the safety of everyone crossing.
Meanwhile, the Maritime Administration Department (MARAD) also announced on Wednesday that subsequent to the closure of the Harbour Bridge, speedboats will remain operational for a period of 24 hours from Sunday, February 26 at 03:00h (3:00am) to Monday, February 27 at 03:00h (3:00am), in order to facilitate the transport of commuters.
“Commuters are assured of an uninterrupted water taxi service from Vreed-en-Hoop to Stabroek during this period. Please be advised that the fare for this service remains at $100,” MARAD highlighted.
The October 8, 2022 collision rendered the DHB structure inoperable for several days and resulted in billions of dollars in damages.
It also resulted in injuries to Shift Supervisor Andy Duke, who had to jump from the lookout tower…an act that resulted in him fracturing his leg and being hospitalised. Two other men who were working at the bottom of the Bridge, one of whom was Mechanical Maintenance Engineer Ahmad Khan, had to run for their lives.
Public Works Minister Juan Edghill had said that repairs to the Demerara Harbour Bridge following the Tradewind Passion’s collision had racked up a bill of over $1 billion, for which the owners of the vessel would be liable.
A Board of Inquiry (BoI) had meanwhile recommended, among other things, that the vessel’s pilot be suspended for 24 months, and the International Collision Regulations/Conventions to which Guyana is a signatory be implemented.
According to the BoI, the probable cause of the collision of the vessel with the DHB was as a result of the Bridge team’s exclusive reliance on the contracted pilot’s incorrect navigational direction, and their total reliance on looking at the bridge and disregarding alarms of the electronic system on the vessel as it approached the bridge.
The BoI found that the captain failed to assume command of the vessel in a timely manner and manoeuvre it safely into the channel and through the transit; that the passage plan provided adequate information for safe navigation of the bridge zone, but this was not properly executed and monitored; that at the time of the collision, MARAD had no oversight of river pilots, hence the safety of vessels’ operations beyond the southern limits were not guaranteed.
It was also found that there was no clear path of communication on the vessel’s bridge, as the inquiry found several persons were giving commands at the same time, thereby contributing to chaos on the bridge; and that the vessel was not equipped with a bow thruster which could have enhanced its manoeuvrability, thereby steering it away from the DHB or alternatively reducing the impact of the collision.
The seven-member BoI further found that the contracted pilot was known to have an arrogant disposition, and was oftentimes very difficult to communicate with. “This is similarly reported as being the general disposition of the Master of Tradewind Passion, yet no reports nor warnings, disciplinary actions were taken against either party.”

Court battle
In November 2022, the High Court had ordered that the MT Tradewind Passion be released to its owners, subject to conditions. It also granted an order for limited liability of Gy$245.5 million to be underwritten.
Making this order was Justice Fidela Corbin-Lincoln.
Attorneys-at-Law Sanjeev Datadin and Donovan Rangiah represented the Demerara Harbour Bridge Corporation (DHBC) as the claimant, while the owners of the ship, the defendants, were represented by Attorney-at-Law Kamal Ramkarran.
Justice Corbin-Lincoln ordered that permission be granted for the defendant and Canama Trading, a Panamanian company that owns the ship, to argue limited liability as a defence against the property damage claims.
It was also ordered that a limitation fund be created through a Letter of Undertaking in the sum of $245.5 million. The order states that once a copy of the Letter of Undertaking from the ship’s underwriters is received and a notice of receipt issued by the Court Registrar, the ship should be released into their custody.
The original Letter of Undertaking by Steamship Mutual Underwriting had to have been lodged by November 25, 2022. “The claimant, its servants and agents are hereby directed to allow and facilitate the defendant vessel to return to service and leave Guyana forthwith upon receipt of notice of the constitution of the limitation fund as ordered,” the order stated, going on to threaten that failure to comply with the directives would result in the party being held in contempt of court.
A Letter of Undertaking from Steamship Mutual and a Notice of Receipt from the Court Registrar, both dated November 11, 2022, were seen by this publication.