A tug and barge yesterday crashed into the Demerara Harbour Bridge (DHB), dislocating a pontoon anchoring chain.
However, DHB Manager Wayne Watson is assuring that repair works, scheduled for this morning, will not affect the flow of traffic.
Minister of Public Works Juan Edghill told the Stabroek News that the incident occurred sometime after lunch yesterday and he credited the quick response by the DHB personnel for ensuring there was minimal congestion for commuters.
He referred this newspaper to Watson, who informed that from preliminary reports, the time and tide contributed to the incident.
Watson gave the name of the vessel as the ‘Megan S’ and informed that it was at the time transporting logs.
“The issue is that at the time the barge was trying to traverse the high span; that was not the tide and time to do that traversing. Whatever is the situation it suggests that the tide played a part,” he explained.
However, he noted that not until investigations are completed, that the real cause will be known.
“From what we observed when it [the barge and tug] was moved is that a part of the anchorage system was damaged. In terms of what really transpired, we can’t really say because we are getting conflicting stories. One time we heard that the tug broke down and another time was that the rope cut.”
He explained that engineers saw “no major damage.”
When the incident occurred, traffic was stalled to ensure that the bridge was safe for travel. “We first ensured that it was safe and there was no major damage. Then we ensured that the traffic wasn’t built up and people could traverse the bridge.”
This morning, “very early” according to Watson, works will begin to repair the anchoring system to spans # 52 and # 56; the location of the accident.
