With challenges in the shipping industry due to the global pandemic, the completion of the Cheddi Jagan International Airport Expansion Project will likely not meet its yearend deadline, Minister of Public Works Juan Edghill said on Sunday.
After the commissioning of the extended runway and the airport’s new Instrument Landing System, Edghill on Sunday night explained that while there is a December 31, 2021 deadline, it is highly likely that the government will have to grant the contractor China Harbour and Engineering Corporation (CHEC) an extension given the difficulties in the transportation of materials here.
“We may not get everything in place by December 31, 2021. And that’s largely due to shipping. And the challenges of shipping as it relates to COVID. And this is not just the airport but several projects. Even now if you get containers, getting the booking time and ships have become problematic. You’re waiting between 90 to 160 days after booking to get a container on a ship,” Edghill said on Sunday night before stressing that this is the reality and he was not making an excuse for company.
Next Easter was mentioned as the likely timeframe for completion of the project.
The shipping woes add to the already existing difficulties of completing the controversy-ridden project that began in January 2013 after a secret 2011 deal in Jamaica. The project has now straddled three governments including five years under the former APNU+AFC administration.
The US$150M airport expansion project has received multiple extensions and had gone through changes in design due to new governments being in office. The construction and expansion of the airport began in 2012.
While the runway and the main terminals have been completed, CHEC is still to construct a superstructure to house the administration complex, a commercial space for a food court and duty-free shops, among other facilities. Two additional air bridges are also to be added.
“In terms of the new works, you will see all the footprints of what needs to be done are in place. We’re waiting on the steel from China to put up the superstructure. The glass and everything else for the curtain wall, the corridors for the extension, all the markings and everything have been done and we’re awaiting the arrival of the shipment,” he said.
Questioned on whether the contractor has completed the list of 71 critical items that were identified during President Irfaan Ali’s visit last year, he responded in the positive and noted that the additional 1500 items on the master tracking list are almost completed. He estimates that by October this should be done.
The issues included fixing of a cracked section of the runway skirt; sealing the floor tiles in the departure area; getting the four air bridges fully functional or replaced; replacing specified lighting fixtures; fixing doors and modifying others to specific fire codes; fixing the ceiling; fixing the toilets; separating the generator room; and repairing the system to allow for the sewage water to be separated.
When the PPP/C government assumed office in August last year, an assessment of the project identified a number of issues, including the contractor being behind schedule.
Last December, the PPP/C government and CHEC announced that they had reached an agreement on the project for additional works estimated to cost US$9 million. The agreement stated that CHEC will stand the cost of the additional works. The deal appeared to be a significant win for the government, which had warned of legal action against CHEC if the defects highlighted were not remedied.
Recently, the airport and CHEC and Total Solutions Inc, a local company signed a $400 million contract for the supply delivery and installation for two air bridges.
The signing of the contract has received attention from former Minister of Public Infrastructure David Patterson over its cost. Patterson in a Facebook post had questioned the cost at which the air bridges were procured.
Responding to this, Edghill said during sourcing they were directed to Total Solutions by China International Marine Containers (CIMC), a supplier of air bridges across the world. The Minister added that the company awarded the contract will be responsible “for after-sale services and all the things required to keep the airport and air bridges functional.”
He stated that this route was taken since the four bridges supplied via the contractor under the APNU+AFC government were poor in quality as they deteriorated before providing any kind of service and had become non-functional.
At the presentation of the 2021 budget, government announced that it was spending an addition $2.5 billion on the CJIA Expansion Project and Edghill stated that had the opposition exercised civil behaviour during the budget debates earlier this year, all questions would have been answered.
CHEC, as part of its new contractual agreement, will have to construct the corridors and other infrastructure to facilitate the installation of the bridges. The two new bridges are expected to enhance the airport’s capability to service aircraft, such as the Boeing 777, the Dreamliner, AirBus and other trans-Atlantic aircraft.
