Desilting of the river channel alongside the Guyana Sugar Corporation Inc.(GuySuCo) largest berthing facility located at the Demerara Sugar Terminal (DST), Ruimveldt, Georgetown, has commenced as the Company prepares to maximise on opportunities created as result of Guyana’s emerging oil and gas sector.
The multi-million dollar venture, which commenced on May 1, is a collaborative initiative between the Marine Administrative Department (MARAD), Ministry of Public Works and GuySuCo and is expected to be completed by May 14. The last time the channel was desilted in 2014.
The berthing facility is located on the east bank of the Demerara River. It was built with concrete and steel several decades ago and is used by ships transporting sugar for bulk storage at the Demerara Sugar Terminal to be sold on both the local and export markets but has the potential to dock large vessels once the desilting process is completed explained Roger Bradshaw, Manager, Demerara Sugar Terminal, GuySuCo.
In lauding the initiative to desilt the river channel, Mr. Bradshaw noted that the desilting exercise was much needed since the huge deposit of silt was affecting the operational efficiency at the Demerara Sugar Terminal resulting sometimes in increase operational cost to offload or load a vessel “During low tides we cease operations and wait until the water rises during high tide for us to complete our tasks whether its offloading or loading a vessel.”
Further, this exercise is integral to GuySuCo’s Strategic Plan to maximise the usage of all its facilities to become economically viable once again. In this light, GuySuCo intends to extend the services offered at the Demerara Sugar Terminal in wake of the increasing demand for such services by Guyana’s emerging oil and gas Sector.
On completion of the desilting process, ships with maximum length of 400 meter and a draft of 7 meters can berth at the DST facility and there will be significant increase in operational efficiency due to the reduced number of stoppages as a result of built up silt Mr. Bradshaw highlighted.
