By: Trichell Sobers
Technical teams from the Demerara Harbour Bridge Corporation (DHBC) and the Ministry of Public Works are currently assessing the extent of damages to the Harbour Bridge after a coastal vessel collided with the structure early Tuesday morning.
Preliminary investigations revealed that the crew of men operating the MV Princess Anisa fell asleep while traversing the Demerara River, resulting in the collision.
The incident occurred at around 05:30hrs.
This publication was informed that majority of the damage occurred at Spans 42 and 43 of the bridge, which is on the northern side.
Additionally, an anchor block that was recently placed at the bridge suffered minimal damages. No injuries were reported.
Public Works Minister Juan Edghill told this publication that upon the completion of the investigation, the owner of the vessel will be liable to pay for the damages sustained.
The vessel is registered to INS Shipping of Goed Intent, West Bank Demerara (WBD).
Following the incident, there was some disruption to the free flow of traffic, however, Edghill assured that the situation has returned to normalcy.
This is the second time for the year that a vessel crashed into the Demerara Harbour Bridge (DHB) resulting in the structure sustaining minor damages.
Back in April, a tug and a barge drifted and collided with the structure damaging Spans 12 and 13.
