Parika Roll on/Roll off stelling… Pontoon sinks, further delaying project

Jun 24, 2012 News

By Rabindra Rooplall
The two US$14M Roll on/Roll off ferries will be further delayed going into operations as one of the two pontoons which was floating a section of the ramp sank next to the Parika Stelling yesterday.
Speedboat operators noted that they turned out for work and noticed the pontoon on its side with the ramp partially in the water, while another pontoon sank.
Another delay which is also contributing to the setback of the roll on/ roll off stelling is the need for 75-foot greenheart piles for the modifications to the design. The Public Works Ministry is having difficulty in sourcing the piles.

The ramp on the two pontoons a week before it sank.

Public Works Minister Robeson Benn had blamed the delay in launching the roll on/roll off ferry service on design changes and a difficulty in sourcing certain supplies required for the project.
One of the major problems had to do with the concrete piles being driven. Some broke and had to be replaced and driven again.
He had also noted that commuters plying the Parika/Supenaam route will have to wait until August before these vessels can be used.
BK International has undertaken to modify the Parika Stelling at a cost of $240.1 million and the Supenaam Stelling at a cost of some $138 million.
BK International had won the initial contract to construct a stelling at Good Hope/Supenaam on the Essequibo Coast. This crossing is intended to reduce the travel time between Parika and the Essequibo Coast. However, this has caused an extensive delay for commuters as many issues were raised towards the completion of the project.
But the need to get the stelling operational caused the government to inject money into the project.
At a press conference Works Minister Robeson Benn accused BK International of faulty work. He threatened legal action against the contractor. A similar view was expressed by Prime Minister Sam Hinds who was mandated by the then President Bharrat Jagdeo to mount an investigation into the project.
The Works Minister had blamed the company which in turn insisted that it performed according to the design specifications. The company also blamed the Works Ministry for contributing to the problem of the stelling by attempting modifications.
Initially it took more than four hours for the ferry to travel between Parika and Adventure. The government decided to limit the travel time to less than three hours by constructing the stelling at Supenaam.
At a cost of more than $400 million BK International constructed the stelling which then remained idle for nearly two years.
There had been concerns after B.K. was awarded the contracts, especially following problems with the new Supenaam stelling a few years ago. Shortly after that stelling was commissioned, there were issues with the support beam holding the ramp leading from the stelling to the ferry.
The two vessels arrived late December as a “gift” from the Chinese Government and are said to be worth around US$14M ($2.8B).
Each vessel has three decks and can hold up to 800 persons, 44 cars, and 20 lorries and can travel at a test speed of 12.5 knots.
The ferries will continue to provide a crucial link between Essequibo Coast, Region Two, and the city. Rice and cash crop farmers are heavily dependent on ferries to transport their produce. They also provide a link to Wakenaam and Leguan, two islands in the Essequibo River.
One of the two Chinese vessels will be plying the Essequibo route by August.