Major structural damage as Fuel Tanker slams into Demerara Harbour Bridge

Emergency works have started, one man is hospitalized with a broken leg, and commute and commerce have been affected as a fuel tanker contracted by the Guyana Oil Company to deliver fuel ran rouge in the Demerara River while navigating the channel through the Demerara Harbour Bridge in the wee hours of Saturday morning.

BIG Smith News Watch has been able to confirm that the bridge was open for ocean-going vessels and while that was taking place, workers of the Harbour Bridge were also on the structure conducting routine maintenance work. When the vessel collided with the bridge an employee of the DHB who was directing the vessels through the navigation path of the bridge was injured and suffered a broken leg.

While several vessels have already successfully transited the bridge, it was the Tradewinds Passion that collided with the floating structure resulting in extensive damage.

BIG Smith News Watch was told that when the communication was made with the vessel from the bridge, the person who was responding to the transmission was not the person (Pilot) who would usually communicate with the bridge staff. After several attempts to get the correct person who has traveled through the channel a number of times before, the person (Pilot) finally responded to the transmission but by that time it was too late. The Bridge has already started giving the vessel instructions to turn around but those instructions were ignored. Local officials have since ordered that the persons who were in the cabin at the time including the pilot be tested for alcohol and drug use.

Minister Edghill, Indar, and Robeson Benn were on sight within half hour of the incident. It was noted that the magnitude of the collision and damage suffered by the bridge on Saturday morning is the first of its kind since the existence of the bridge.

Works have already started on the bridge with welding taking place. Further to that, the fabrication and construction of deck plates and other critical components of the bridge which were damaged are being done off-site and will be transported to the site for installation.

In the interim, once the work reaches a particular stage, light traffic will be allowed to transit the bridge.

An investigation into the matter has however commenced.