Some of the material used in the reclamation for the construction of the EC$600 million port in Kingstown was lost because of a declutching of the sheet piles, Prime Minister Ralph Gonsalves says.
He said on NBC Radio on Wednesday that the issue came to light during dredging to achieve the design depth in front of the quay wall.
The prime minister said that Aecon, the Canadian firm contracted to build the port, is pursuing an industry-standard solution, but the timeline for the remedial work is not yet established.
The prime minister did not give an indication of whether the issue would result in a delay in the completion of the port, slated for the middle of this year.
Gonsalves said the dredging was being undertaken in front of the quay wall to remove excess reclamation material to attain the design depth.
“This is something which is clutched onto the piles. For some of them, there is a declutching,” the prime minister said.
“The issue was identified by the contractor and by the project oversight unit, project management implementation — our people, because there’s a contract and we have our people, Laura Anthony Browne, Lenski Douglas, a consultant, other staff, too.
“They’re our eyes and ears, and it has been under continuous investigation and communication among all the relevant parties.”
He said a full survey of the quay wall revealed the extent of where the sheets piled clutches had disengaged.
“The design was reviewed to assess the stability of the quay wall, and a remedial solution was developed and reviewed to address the issue,” he said, reiterating that the problem was identified, and analysed.
“The quay wall is fine. It’s a remedial solution, engineering solution. I’ve been advised that the contractors propose an industry-standard engineering solution,” Gonsalves said.
“Not the first time this would happen anyway, you know. So, there’s a standard engineering solution, which is widely accepted for large-scale civil engineering projects, and the solution will be implemented as part of the contractor’s contractual obligations.”
Gonsalves said the problem is not the fault of the government entity responsible for the implementation of the project.
“This is something which happened, and the contractor has, along with our own people, said this is the problem. This is what has to be done. And the contractor has proposed an, I repeat, an industry-standard engineering solution.”
He said the timeline for implementing the solution is “still under assessment, and it requires mobilising additional equipment and qualified personnel to the site.
“Aecon is a top-quality engineering company, engineering firm, international firm and persons have come down to review, persons from headquarters have also come down to review, along with the personnel who are on the ground.”
Gonsalves said certain safety measures have been taken in the meantime.
“… there are some exclusion zones which have been established around the defective areas to ensure the safety of all personnel and all remedial work could be carried out with the highest priority given to health and safety protocols,” the prime minister said.
“And the main thing we have to get in our heads is this issue is not uncommon in large-scale projects. We have to get into our heads that it is being addressed with a proven engineering solution.
“The timeline is also being assessed, and I said additional equipment, the contract has to bring in.”
He said he did not know if the contractor was going to issue a statement.
“But in as much as I understand some people talking about it — is the same way in which I used to deal with things when they talk about a matter which arises out at Argyle International,” the prime minister said.
Opposition Leader Godwin Friday has tabled a question about the port for an oral answer during Thursday’s meeting of Parliament.
Friday is to ask the Honourable Minister of Urban Development, Energy, Seaports, Grenadines Affairs, and Local Government, Senator Benarva Browne
The opposition leader noted that the whole Parliament approved hundreds of millions of dollars to construct the port, which is projected to be completed by May.
He wants Browne to say the cost of the project; the amount of money spent on the project thus far; whether the government has sufficient funds to complete the project; and if not, how much more will be needed to finish it.