Technical teams from the Demerara Harbour Bridge Corporation (DHBC) and the Public Works Ministry are currently assessing the extent of damages to the Harbour Bridge after a coastal vessel collided with the structure early Tuesday morning.
The incident occurred around 05:30h and preliminary reports revealed that the crew operating the MV Princess Anisa allegedly fell asleep while traversing the Demerara River, resulting in the collision.
Vessel collides with Demerara Harbour Bridge
The Guyana Times understands that majority of the damages took place at Spans 42 and 43 located on the northern side of the bridge. Additionally, an anchor block that was recently placed at the bridge also suffered minimal damage. No injuries were reported.
Public Works Minister Juan Edghill when contacted stated that upon a full probe, as usual, the owner of the vessel will be liable to pay for the damages sustained.
The vessel is registered to INS Shipping of Good Intent, West Bank Demerara (WBD).
“My understanding was that they supposedly anchored the vessel and drifted… but I would suspect that if somebody was alert and awake and a vessel is drifting and going to the bridge (Demerara Harbour Bridge) they should be able to operationalise the engine to steer it away. An investigation has been launched and the assessment of the damages is being made so that the owners of the vessel will have to stand the cost,” Edghill said.
The scene at the DHB on Tuesday
Following the incident, there was some disruption to the free flow of traffic, however, Edghill assured that the situation has returned to normalcy.
“Traffic is flowing as well as we had a retract this morning (Tuesday) to allow vessels to pass. The main damages are in the bed of the river by the anchor blocks… and it could be fixed,” he added.
This is the second time in the year that a vessel crashed into the Demerara Harbour Bridge (DHB) resulting in the structure sustaining minor damages.
In April, a tug and a barge drifted and collided with the structure damaging Spans 12 and 13.
Various teams including the Guyana Defence Force (GDF) 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.
The barge and tug are reportedly attached to the company that is constructing the new DHB.
Previous damage
Back 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 vessel crashing into the Demerara Harbour Bridge
The ship, which was supposed to drive in a southern direction to pass through the opening of the bridge but instead, it drove in a south-easterly direction and hit Spans Nine and 10 with its front and rear.
This had 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. (Trichell Sobers)
