Armour ­– and ready

The stones to repair the breakwater at the Bridgetown Fisheries Complex have landed.

The impressively large boulders, called armour stones, are being temporarily stored next to the Barbados Association of Retailers, Vendors and Entrepreneurs’ market along the Mighty Grynner Highway.

Senior Minister in charge of Infrastructural Projects and Town Planning Matters Dr William Duguid said the approximately two-acre area would serve as the loading point for the repair work.

“That is an area being prepared for the armour stones that will repair the fishing harbour. So as they come in from the port, they will be stored there and then they’ll be used to repair the fishing harbour that was damaged. It’s being prepared so that as they arrive, we get them out of the port quickly and store them there for easy access,” he told the DAILY NATION.

Duguid said he was not up to date with all the information and directed further enquiries to C. O. Williams Construction, which he said was working with the contractor on the project.

C. O. Williams general manager Marc Atwell said their current purview was solely the offloading and stockpiling of the stones and could offer no information regarding contractors. He said each stone was made of granite and weighed anywhere between ten and 13 tonnes.

“We have to stockpile there because the normal area where you would stockpile over by the Flour Mill, a lot of the fishing boats themselves are out there under repair. There really wasn’t much room so everything right now is just stockpiling in preparation for the works to start next year,” he said.

Atwell added that the stones would be moved to Fisheries as needed, adding they could not be stored there either because there was not much available room.

“So that’s kind of the closest place that we could find within the area that made sense. Obviously, we would have liked this to be done before the fishing season started, but it’s timing with the boat and when it arrives,” he said.

The general manager said a decision was made not to reuse the concrete dolos currently making up the breakwater.

“The engineers, Baird & Associates, are the engineers for the client – the port. They came up with [a new design]. The dolos are old technology, and they felt that the armour stone would be a faster and better solution. But they would more be able to speak to that.”

Atwell said it was all systems go to get the work done as soon as possible.

“The port is pushing hard to get the job done as soon as possible and to get the boats back in safe harbour. Just to get those rocks in is a big effort.”

In October, boat owner Shurland Clarke said he was less concerned about getting money from Government for repairs and more about the time it was taking for the breakwater to be replaced.

“My problem is there are boats that get damaged, rebuilt and put back in the water, yet that breakwater still damaged. As more boats return to the dock, they will end up having to dock where there is no protection,” he said then.

Minister of the Blue Economy Adrian Forde had said the repairs to the breakwater were scheduled to be completed by mid-next year.

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