Another J$245m bill for Petrojam dock
Published:Friday | August 19, 2011 | 12:00 AM
The rehabilitation of the Petrojam dock continues to rack up millions.
The refinery plans to spend another J$245.39 million on the "restoration of mechanical and electrical facilities" at the main dock, according to the July list of National Contracts Commission (NCC)-endorsed contracts.
Petrojam will need Cabinet's approval to issue the contract negotiated with JH Dunstan Associates Limited.
The state-owned refinery is already spending some J$498 million on the repairs and dredging at the dock, according to NCC data showing two variations on the initial estimate. The dock was damaged in June 2009 when the shipping vessel Great News mowed into it.
Petrojam said Thursday that work on the dock is divided in two parts: civil works and mechanical and electrical facilities.
Both cost components, said the refinery, are covered by insurance.
Petrojam boss Winston Watson said in a previous interview that the initial J$99-million civil works bill rose over time as the refinery determined the extent of the debris that needed to be removed, but he also pushed back at the NCC data.
"We had to do some emergency work so that the country could have uninterrupted supply of fuel. That was the best estimate with the information we had at the time. Now we have more details and see where it will cost us over J$340 million," he said in July.
The reconstruction and dredging works are being handled by Diving and Salvaging Limited.