Last Updated on September 30, 2019, 12:35 AM AST by Anthony Morris
“Our job is now screwed,” said Tony Powell, the pilot for the US-owned barges which were knocked ashore during the passage of tropical storm Karen, which passed over 150 miles from St Kitts earlier in the week.
Powell confirmed in a voice note making the rounds on social media, that both barges were knocked ashore and are damaged and lays blame at the feet of the St Christopher Air and Sea Ports Authority (SCASPA).
“A salvage team has arrived from the United States to assess the damage,” said Powell, who further disclosed that on further assessment “it was determined that the large barge is destroyed.”
“That (second cruise) pier that they were looking for is not going to happen right now,” he added.
In a second voice note, Powell said it is not his fault that both barges were knocked ashore.
“I had no say in the matter of where they went. That decision came from above me. They left them by the Coast Guard (base) and the storm came and smashed them to bits and put them ashore, It is not my fault. I had nothing to do with the decision. I just put them there because I was told to put them there,” said Powell, a son of Ambassador Michael Powell, a Special Envoy in the Office of St Kitts and Nevis’ Prime Minister, Dr the Hon Timothy Harris.
The barges are two of three, working on the construction of the second cruise ship pier in the Port of Basseterre. The grounding of the two barges could result in a financial claim by the owners on SCASPA.
The barges are said to be owned by American Bridge Company, a heavy/civil construction firm that specializes in building and renovating bridges and other large, complex structures. Founded in 1900, the company is headquartered in Coraopolis, Pennsylvania, a suburb of Pittsburgh.
Scheduled to cost EC$86.4 million under the then governing St Kitts-Nevis Labour Party administration, the cost of the cruise ship pier ballooned to a whopping EC$129.6 million price tag – EC$43.2 million more under the Timothy Harris-led Team Unity Government.
The St Christopher Air and Sea Ports Authority (SCASPA) secured an EC$91.8 million loan from the St Kitts-Nevis-Anguilla National Bank; EC$18.9 million from the St. Kitts and Nevis Social Security Board; EC$13.5 million from the St. Kitts and Nevis Sugar Industry Diversification Foundation (SIDF) and EC$5.4 million from the St. Kitts-Nevis-Anguilla Trading and Development Company (TDC).
The contractors, Canadian Commercial Corporation and the St Christopher Air and Sea Ports Authority (SCASPA) are involved in arbitration. The company has submitted a US$7 million for cost overrun which SCASPA is contesting.
Anthony Morris covers stories related to politics and regional developments. His in-depth reporting about governance and reforms makes him stand out in regional journalism, with a deep analysis of political trends and their impact on Caribbean communities.
