The July 18 capsizing of the MV Barima with the loss of approximately 100 lives will raise searing questions about why a massive project to enable the Port Kaituma stelling to accommodate a modern vessel is still not ready approaching four years after the contract was issued.
In the interim there was much controversy over who was to blame for the delay of the project and an admission over a design flaw. Even now the project is still unfinished. Had it been completed months ago the MV Barima might not have been transporting passengers as it did on July 18 when a likely combination of the ferocious sea and unsecured cargo sent it underwater with no warning to passengers to don life jackets. Seventy-six persons were rescued in the hours after, 73 bodies were retrieved and as many as 30 persons may still be missing.
Minister of Public Works Juan Edghill has not been able to give a definitive position on when the project will finally be completed, its cost and whether any disciplinary action has been taken. This delayed project may now come on the radar of the Commission of Inquiry which is to be set up to examine the worst maritime disaster in the country’s history.
As reported in the August 11, 2024 edition of the Sunday Stabroek, Edghill said then that CEMCO Inc had acknowledged design flaws in the $1.4b Port Kaituma Stelling project where fissures occurred, necessitating remedial work.
“We are now looking at the solution we think we have found. We are now remedying that. We could have been more advanced but some of the materials we have to use, we are working collaboratively to source… and I can give you the assurance it will be completed and the people will have the service they deserve,” Edghill told the Sunday Stabroek when contacted then.
When asked what would be the additional costs to taxpayers he responded, “At this particular time, based upon what we are doing, I have no bill, and take my word – at this particular time, I have no bill for additional costs because we are working on the solution in the context of what needs to be done.”
He said that the focus was to first rectify the problem soonest so that the project could be delivered to the people, and emphasized that it would not be done through “any profit-making process.”
“If I pay a man something and there is a flaw in the design, doesn’t he have to bear some culpability?” he reasoned, without saying if the design firm would be asked to foot any additional costs.
He asserted that Caribbean Engineering and Management Consultants (CEMCO) is “no fly by night design firm” and that is why “they will have to tell me what [costs] they will bear.”
The government had been silent on the flaws in this major project until the contractor spoke about it.
On the 28th of July, the Stabroek News reported that contracting company, International Import and Supplies, located at Lot 15 Garnett Street, Georgetown, and owned by Parmeshwar Jagmohan, had issued a statement saying that serious flaws that had arisen in the structure were due to the poor design for the project.
The company issued the statement, it informed, with an aim to address misinformation circulating about the Port Kaituma Stelling construction project and in so doing, correct any inaccuracies and protect the company’s reputation.
According to the statement, International Import and Supplies was awarded the contract to construct the North West Stelling on December 30, 2022, through a process of public tender. The contractor’s scope was limited to the construction of the physical structure, while the design and project supervision were undertaken separately by a local consultancy firm.
It went on to assert that materials procurement and construction were conducted in strict accordance with the project specifications and Bill of Quantities, with critical elements sourced from pre-approved suppliers in Europe and China. As of February 18 2024, the project was said to be on schedule and approximately 90 per cent completed. During the final stages of casting pile caps, fissures were observed within the backfilled area, prompting an immediate cessation of work and notification to the consultant and the Ministry of Public Works. Initial investigations indicated that the tie rod strength specified in the design was inadequate.
At this point, an independent third-party firm was engaged to review the initial design, revealing additional deficiencies in the design, particularly in the affected zone of the structure. The Ministry retained this firm to conduct a new geotechnical survey and prepare a revised design.
The new independent design was completed, addressing the deficiencies identified in the initial design, which included the implementation of longer and thicker piles and tie rods. These items, the release disclosed, had already been procured, and preparations were underway to resume work on the project.
Edghill had echoed the contractor’s position. “It was clear that the contractor executed the job based upon the design given. The design was done by a consultancy firm who also supervised the construction. At the end of the construction of that section which was done under the supervisory eye of the design firm, there were some problems where the tie rod burst. We engaged consultant, contractor, and the contractor was even allowed to have an advisor to look at the project and we examined all the possible ways that could have led to that; the bore hole testing, the strength of the steel….”
He said that to rule out the possibility that the contractor had used substandard materials, in the form of “inferior steel,” tests and samples were taken and sent abroad as the process cannot be done here.
“At one time we sent overseas for these and results showed that there was nothing wrong with the steel. We just had movement in the area which was not catered for that the bore hole brought up in the area,” the minister had explained to the Sunday Stabroek.
Prior to the statement by International Import and Supplies, there had been no known public acknowledgment by the Ministry of Public Works of the Port Kaituma stelling problem and Edghill said that he had not said anything as they were working to address the issue.
In January of 2024, Edghill cited the Port Kaituma stelling as one of four major stelling projects for completion during the third quarter that year and two months later, the Department of Public Information (DPI) reported that the project was 85 per cent complete.
It is now July 27, 2026 and the ministry has not said when the project will be concluded and the MV Ma Lisha and newer vessels will be able to dock there particularly as the MV Barima is no more.
Timeline
2021: MV Ma Lisha contract signed
In January 2021, Guyana’s Transport and Harbours Department (T&HD) entered into an agreement with India’s Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers Limited for the construction of the MV Ma Lisha.
The vessel, financed through a line of credit from the Government of India, was designed to carry passengers, vehicles and cargo on the North West route. It was larger than the vessels then serving the area, including the MV Kimbia and MV Barima.
The planned introduction of the ferry created the need for upgraded port facilities at Port Kaituma and Mabaruma. Officials said the stellings had to be rehabilitated or upgraded to accommodate the larger vessel.
2022: New Port Kaituma Stelling announced
In September 2022, Public Works Minister Juan Edghill announced that Port Kaituma would have a new stelling to facilitate the MV Ma Lisha.
At the time, officials said the Transport and Harbours Department had contracted Caribbean Engineering and Management Consultants (CEMCO) to undertake rehabilitation works at the Mabaruma, Morawhanna and Port Kaituma stellings at a combined cost of about $700 million. A separate estimate for Port Kaituma was expected to be about $1 billion.
The project was intended to ease transportation challenges for residents and improve movement of goods from the North West District.
December 2022: Construction contract awarded
The construction contract for the Port Kaituma Stelling was awarded to International Import and Supplies on December 30, 2022, following a public tender process to the tune of $1.4 billion.
The contractor later said its responsibility was limited to construction, while the design and supervision of the project were handled separately by a consultancy firm.
June 2023: MV Ma Lisha launch delayed by stelling works
Although MV Ma Lisha had arrived in Guyana, the vessel was not immediately placed into commercial operation because infrastructure upgrades at Port Kaituma and Mabaruma were still ongoing.
Minister Edghill said at the time that the stellings were being retrofitted to accommodate the vessel. The T&HD said the ferry would begin service once the required rehabilitation works were completed.
August 2023: MV Ma Lisha begins operations
The MV Ma Lisha completed its maiden voyage to Region One in August 2023 to Mabaruma.
During the trip, Edghill said civil works had been required before the vessel could operate, noting that government was also improving ports in Georgetown and Region One to support the ferry service.
January 2024: Project reported 77% complete
At a Ministry of Public Works press briefing in January 2024, Edghill said the Port Kaituma Stelling was 77% complete and was expected to be finished by the third quarter of that year.
February 2024: Structural problems emerge
According to International Import and Supplies, the project was approximately 90% complete by February 2024 when fissures developed during the final stages of casting pile caps in the backfilled area.
The contractor said work was immediately stopped and the Ministry of Public Works and consultants were notified.
An independent review was commissioned, which identified deficiencies in the original design, particularly in the affected section of the structure. A revised design was subsequently prepared involving longer and thicker piles and tie rods.
July 2024: Contractor blames design flaws
In July 2024, International Import and Supplies publicly stated that the structural issues were caused by deficiencies in the original design rather than construction practices.
The company said materials had been sourced according to project specifications and that critical elements came from approved suppliers in Europe and China.
It said the revised design had been completed and preparations were underway to resume works.
August 2024: Edghill says designer admitted flaw
Public Works Minister Juan Edghill later confirmed that CEMCO Inc, the design consultant, had acknowledged design flaws.
Edghill said the contractor had built according to the design provided and that investigations examined possible causes, including the quality of steel and geotechnical conditions.
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