Guyanese fuel tanker pilot faces ban following severe Demerara Harbour Bridge damage

Last Updated on Saturday, 8 October 2022, 20:06 by Denis Chabrol

The Guyanese pilot of the Panama-registered fuel tanker, MV Tradewind Passion, was suspended from duty on Saturday and would most likely be banned from duty following the vessel’s collision with the Demerara Harbour Bridge, Director-General of the Maritime Administration Stephen Thomas said.

“He has been instantly suspended from piloting and most likely it will be permanent,” he told reporters on the Demerara Harbour Bridge while workers were busy welding and replacing components of the thoroughfare. Mr Thomas said the pilot, who has decades of experience, is not employed by MARAD but is part of a five-member pool that the shipping agency hires to bring the ocean-going vessels into the river channel.

Mr Thomas said after the incident the unnamed pilot was tested for drug and alcohol use, but both tests were negative. Officials said a Board of Inquiry has been appointed and would begin work immediately to determine the cause of the incident that has left thousands of passengers and tons of agricultural produce stranded on both sides of the Demerara River.

Public Works Minister II Deodat Indar told reporters that with immediate effect a MARAD officer would be aboard each vessel that is coming into Port Georgetown and would be passing through the retracted Demerara Harbour Bridge. “MARAD will now have a very active role when we are moving the vessels through the opening (retracted bridge),” he said.

Public Works Minister I Juan Edghill said the fuel tanker would not be allowed to leave Guyana but has been allowed to discharge its fuel cargo to the state-owned Guyana Oil Company (GUYOIL). “We made a decision that even though the vessel damaged the ship, it brought in fuel. We don’t want a second crisis so while we’re dealing with all of this, we have given permission for it to discharge the cargo to GUYOIL because we know how important fuel is to the country,” he said.

Mr Edghill said that, with the support of the private sector, components of the bridge are being manufactured to the required specifications and are being installed with the hope of having the Demerara Harbour Bridge resume operations initially to light traffic from Monday though this timeline has not been confirmed. He said there has been “significant damage” to four spans as a result of the mishap at about 2 AM Saturday.  A number of cluster piles, he said, were knocked down by the fuel tanker and they were expected to be retrieved from the river bed by a team from GAICO.

Workers are on duty 24 hours per day to fast-track major repairs to that lone vehicular east-west corridor between east and west Demerara.

MARAD has given permission for the speedboats to operate from Stabroek to Vreed-en-Hoop 24 hours daily with the required navigational aids and instructions not to increase the fare to more than GY$100 per passenger.

Public Works Minister Edghill declined to say what was the pilot’s response to repeated efforts by Demerara Harbour Bridge ship supervisor Mr Duke to contact him by radio communication to inform him that the vessel was veering off course and approaching the retracted bridge. Mr Edghill instead said that would be a matter for the Board of Inquiry.

One of the workers, who was on duty early Saturday morning above and below the retractor span recalled that, “we had to run for our life because it’s a big ship.”

The Board of Inquiry is made up of Marine Officer and Ship Surveyor, Captain Joseph Lewis; MARAD’s Legal Director Thandi Mc Allister; Demerara Harbour Bridge Board Member, Youlanda Hughes; Guyana Police Force Marine Wing’s Inspector Ross; Guyana Defence Force Coast Guard’s Lieutenant Colonel David Shamshudeen; Chief Transport and Planning Officer at the Ministry of Public Works Mr Patrick Thompson and Board Member of the Guyana National Shipping Corporation Dmitri Ally who is also an engineer.