KINGSTON - The multi-million dollar revetment project at Cane Grove main access road, Mahaica, Region Four is progressing smoothly with the contractor completing approximately 40 percent of the works.
This is according to Khiraj Bisesar, Project Engineer, who accompanied Hon. Robeson Benn, Minister of Public Works on Saturday, April 12, 2014 for a site visit.
The revetments are crucial to this agricultural hub – rice and cash crops – Bisesar pointed out.
“Heavy traffic and canals that are on either side of the carriageway have resulted in the saturation of the sub-base of the road there by causing continuous slippage of the carriageway,” Mr. Bisesar explained.
He noted that Minister Benn was pleased with the progress so far, since the transport of agriculture produce hinges on the accessibility of the road which is the only access to and from Cane Grove.
Currently, the contractor H. Nauth and Sons are driving piles to accommodate the revetment that will follow along with 1 inch diameter steel rod as tie back to anchor piles which will gave more stability to the revetment works.
The $160M project was signed on December 20, 2013 and is expected to be completed in August. Bisear added that with any major project there is a defect liability period of six months.
TIMEHRI - “Girls don’t become pilots, girls become stewardesses.”
Astrid Deira, the first female Surinam Pilot-in-Command to fly a Boeing 737, recalled those were the words said to her by one of her teachers when she signaled her intention to become a pilot at the tender age of eight.
After guiding Surinam Airways (SLM) Flight 421 – her inaugural flight - to the Cheddi Jagan International Airport (CJIA) on April 12, 2014, Captain Deira lamented to media operatives that through determination and sacrifice her dream was fulfilled. Her passion for soaring the sky can be credited to her father, who worked at SLM.
The local SLM office organized a simple congratulatory ceremony as a nod to her accomplishment.
Captain Deira began working at Surinam Airways 27 years ago as an Administrative staff “doing books.” However, during that period the bilingual pilot was saving money to obtain her pilot license.
“It took me five years to achieve this,” she said smilingly.
After a few years honing her skills in her homeland, Captain Deira turned her sights to larger aircraft such as the Airbus 340 as a co-pilot. The veteran pilot, who has vowed to do everything to keep the airline going after her retirement, said that her experience so far has been a pleasant one.
“…it was awkward at first as a woman. It is a job which you have to earn and work hard,” the 45 year-old admitted.
During her 22 years in the sky, Captain Deira has flown two of Guyana’s Heads of State, and numerous Suriname’s Government officials. And now she is accorded the opportunity to fly the Suriname/Georgetown/Miami route.
Her advice for young ladies, who want to follow in her footsteps, is “though there will be setbacks, if you really want it, go for it!”
KINGSTON - Efforts are underway to salvage the truck that fell off MV Kanawan on April 9 on to the Essequibo river bed.
However, salvaging operations are being hampered by unfavourable tidal conditions, but operators are tackling this problem.
The truck, GKK 9195, was at the time transporting 12 tonnes of cargo when it unfortunately slipped into the Essequibo River between the ferry and the floating ramp while disembarking at the stern draw door of MV Kanawan at Supenaam Stelling Ro Ro facility.
A total of nine small vehicles, three canter trucks and nine small wheel-base trucks and seven full size trucks were being transported from Parika to Supenaam.
It is apt to note that there was no damage to the Supenaam facility and it is in operational order.
The T&HD and MARAD are investigating the circumstances surrounding this incident.
KINGSTON - MV Lady Zai returned to Guyana on Monday April 7, 2014 with eight crew members on board.
They were all examined by the Health Authorities in Saint Lucia and given clearance to sail following the death of one of their colleagues on board the vessel.
The vessel was quarantined by the Port Health Authorities in Saint Lucia, but the quarantine was subsequently lifted on March 17, after it was sanitized in accordance with their specific guidelines.
After the vessel was given clearance to sail, it called at Vieux Fort, St Lucia; Port of Spain, Trinidad & Tobago; and Curacao where it discharged and subsequently loaded cargo for Guyana.
The Lady Zai left Guyana on March 9, 2014 for St Lucia with ten crew members. However, during the voyage one crew member; Lilkumar died and another had fallen ill and was hospitalised in St Lucia.
The Health Authorities in Saint Lucia later confirmed that the Guyanese crew member died from Bronco Pneumonia and the sick crew member was stricken by the same illness. The sick crewmember did not complete they return voyage back to Guyana with the ship. He was repatriated to Guyana from Trinidad to rest and recuperate properly with his family.
Officials from the Maritime Administration Department (MARAD) visited the Captain and crew at the John Fernandes Wharf to conclude their investigations.
TIMEHRI - Nicholas Harrinandan, a Guyanese national, was caught with 7.5 kilogrammes of cocaine which was concealed in cheese rolls, pine tarts, mittai and in the soles of a pair of shoes at the Cheddi Jagan International Airport (CJIA) at around 22:45 hrs on April 6, 2014.
The 37 year-old man from Corentyne Berbice, was an outgoing passenger on BW 526 destined for J. F. K International Airport, USA when he was intercepted.
Customs and Anti Narcotics Unit (CANU) officers found the illegal substance in Harrinandan’s checked luggage. Liquefied cocaine was also found in the soles of the shoes.
This latest drug bust is the first for April. However, 11 drug mules have been arrested and charged for attempting to smuggle cocaine through CJIA for 2014. The success of these seizures is as a result of a collaborative effort with CJIA’s security, CID and CANU officers.
However, law enforcement officers continue to be confronted with the ingenious methods of traffic cocaine out of the country. These include awarra, straws, ochroes, pumpkins, cream liqueur, rum, star apples peppers, among others.
KINGSTON - A team from the Maritime Administration Department (MARAD) and the Guyana Fire Service (GFS) travelled to Port Kaituma, North-West District, Region One on April 4, 2014 to investigate a fire which originated from the vessel ELLIANA B and destroyed several vessels and buildings ashore.
At approximately 07:30 hrs on April 4, the vessel which was discharging diesel fuel into drums ashore caught afire as the pump malfunctioned and jets of the diesel sprayed on the hot surface of the pump.
A fire consequently ignited and engulfed the vessel.
The lone crew member who was on board attempted to fight the fire by himself, but the heat intensified causing him to jump overboard. He swam ashore and raced to the hospital for medical treatment.
Simultaneously, the fire spread to other boats and buildings nearby, destroying four buildings used as dwelling houses, shops and storages. Also five boats are believed to have been destroyed.
The blaze extended on top of the river as well, as the diesel leaked overboard onto some combustible garbage in the water.
Residents from the community formed themselves in bucket brigades and were successful in stopping the fire from spreading to other buildings ashore.
There were no fatalities and the only reported casualty was the crew member who sustained first degree burns to his back and feet. He is currently being treated at Port Kaituma Hospital.
Meanwhile, Minister of Public Works Robeson Benn reiterated the need for persons to clear the waterfront area. He went on to state that the congestion is hampering much needed road works in the area.
Hon. Benn also noted that his Ministry is pursuing several measures to deal with maritime safety in the area and the issue handling illegally imported fuel in the area.
GEORGETOWN - Minister of Public Works, Robeson Benn, has committed to providing all of the information available to Government to the political opposition when the House goes into Committee of Supply to consider and begin voting on the National Estimates.
The Minister gave the commitment on Friday, April 4, 2014 when he made his presentation to the 2014 Budget debates. He said that this will be done despite the fact that all of the demands for information in the past were handed over.
He was referring to project documents on the Amaila Falls Hydroelectric Project and the Cheddi Jagan International Airport Expansion Project among others.
“They wail and carry on even when provided with information…We are prepared to do it again.” The Minister announced that this month the construction of the access road for the Amaila Hydro Electric Project will be substantially completed.
With regard the road project, the Minister said that he was surprised at the about turn on support for the Amaila Falls Access Road.
According to Benn, members of the political opposition including A Partnership for National Unity’s (APNU) Joseph Harmon and Dr. Rupert Roopnaraine, were taken to the road and they were enthused. Benn told the House that the two opposition members were impressed when they saw that the road was being built by young Guyanese engineers and technicians.
He said that despite expressing those sentiments the opposition still returned to the House and voted against the provisions for the road which stalled its progress.
The Minister said that there were bright persons in the benches of the opposition but bemoaned their political perception and their stances with regard important national projects. He said that while he will leave it up to the Prime Minister to give the important answers, “the question of cheap power for our country, the most important thing which affects the economy of our country, is the most important question, the lack of cheap renewable power in our nation development equation and the building of the road and the hydro plant will resolve this problem.”
The Minister in reporting to the House on the performance of his portfolio, said it was a difficult year with lots of confusion and very many court cases that at times led to the stalling of several projects. Overall he said government only managed to complete 84 per cent of its capital programme.
In his report to the House on the infrastructure works, he spoke to the works done on the Demerara Harbour Bridge which is only intended to be in use for another six years. More than six million vehicles crossed the bride going both ways last year and yielded earnings of $479M, according to Benn.
The Minister said that in the coming year, Government will be looking to make moves to have the level of vehicles traversing the bridge lessened by possibly having trucks barge across as well as introduce even more water taxis.
The bridge, he said, has a surplus of $113M which will be used in rehabilitation of the bridge. With respect to the new river crossing over the Demerara River, he said that there are currently 23 expressions of interests submitted.
The National Tender Board is working on a committee to undertake evaluations, “so we can go forward with some arrangement which would allow us to have a new bridge in six years time.”
Hon. Benn conceded that there were significant issues with respect to the road projects on the East Bank Demerara and the widening of the East Coast Demerara highway. He said that there were issues related to the utilities— the removal of utility poles and lines. This was also compounded by drainage and weather.
He lamented a scarcity of construction materials mainly stone. The quarry sector has to improve by 40 per cent to meet national construction needs, he added. As a result of the heavy national infrastructure project as well as domestic consumption, there was a need to import stone from Dominica and St Vincent and the Grenadines among other places.
According to Minister Benn, the US$17.2M widening of 5.4 kilometres of the East Bank Public Road is expected to be significantly completed by the end of the year.
“We are undertaking an effort to improve the Sheriff Street /Mandela Ave.”
This project will stretch for 7.2km and according to the Minster the pre qualification of contractors is in progress. He said that actual work is expected to commence in June.
Benn noted that the project will be funded by the Inter American Development Bank to the tune of US$25M.
Another significant project to be funded, this time by the Caribbean Development Bank, to the tune of US$34M, is the Parika to Vreed-en-Hoop road.
The design for this road is completed according to Minister Benn, who added that the prequalification of contractors with works scheduled to commence in the latter half of the year.
Benn reported, too, that there has been an ongoing discussion with respect to the East Bank Berbice road. He said that while Government would have anticipated that works would have been started already, there were some complications but it is now expected that work on that road will begin at the beginning of the fourth quarter in 2014. (Kaieteur News)
KINGSTON - A jet-propelled passenger vessel was involved in an accident in the Essequibo River in the vicinity of Welga as it was proceeding from Parika to Bartica at approximately 05:00 hours Saturday May 3, 2014.
There were fourteen persons on board. Although several were injured there were no fatalities as a result of the accident.
Officers from the Maritime Administration Department (MARAD) are in the area assessing the situation and are conducting the initial phase of the investigation.
TIMEHRI - The backfilling of a test section for the extended Cheddi Jagan International Airport runway is completed, said Ajay Singh, CJIA’s Engineer attached to the airport’s multi-million expansion project.
The excavation of peat/peggase was completed last week and encompassed 160m x 160m area with approximately 2,500 truckloads of sand dumped at the section. Works commenced last year October.
“The next step is for Engineers to conduct geotechnical testing, which means samples of soil will be taken to ensure it is of high quality…and I anticipate this will be completed in another few weeks,” Singh noted.
Meanwhile, excavation of additional areas for the runway extension is ongoing, and according to Singh, “it is expected to pick up speed from June 2014.”
China Harbour Engineering Company is carrying out the works.
The runway extension is being constructed to category Code 4E to accommodate the BOEING 747-400 aircraft. The runway will be extended from 7,500 feet to 10,800 feet.
The US$150M project also includes the construction of a new terminal building, which is slated to begin in the fourth quarter of the year.
Guyana courting airlines
Whilst the airport expansion is moving forward, Government through the Ministry of Public Works has begun courting airlines.
Over the past five months, officials have engaged in conversations/negotiations with top airline executives to ply the Georgetown route. So far, the feedback is encouraging.
“Our selling point is that we are modernizing our airport to accommodate 777 and 747 aircraft, coupled with our aggressive tourism campaign has piqued the interest of international airline executives,” Ramesh Ghir, CJIA’s Chief Executive Officer (CEO) stated.
According to him, airline investors are optimistic of aviation growth in the country and pointed to the new airlines now operating from CJIA. The fourth quarter of 2013 has seen the re-emergence of Travel Span and the introduction of Fly Jamaica and CONVIASA – a Venezuelan based airline. COPA, a Panamanian airline will commence its operation in July 2014.
KINGSTON - Transport and Harbours Department (T&HD) injected approximately GYD $135M for rehabilitation works on MV Makouria, which is expected to be back in operation Monday, April 7, 2014.
The vessel – on dry dock for 30 days - plies the Parika/Bartica route.
According to General Manager, Marclene Merchant, significant parts of the vessel underwent major repairs including its hull, internals and super structures.
“We also did works on the shafts, propellers, rudders, rudder stocks and everything pertaining to brushings,” Ms. Merchant said.
A new canteen was installed as well.
“The plumbing system has been remedied, and we have repaired all domestic and sanitary pipelines….all defective electrical works were also corrected,” the T&HD General Manager added. “I must say the works were done to our satisfaction.”
E.C Vieira Investment Limited was contracted to carry out the works.
