Kingstown Port Quay Wall Rectification: Progress and Challenges
In a recent update on the $700 million Kingstown Port project, project officials have provided crucial insights into the ongoing quay wall rectification efforts, offering transparency about the technical challenges and progress being made.
Project Director Tam Smith and Project Coordinator Lenski Douglas confirmed that rectification works have now surpassed the 50 percent completion mark. Importantly, they emphasized that the costly repairs are being covered by contractors through an insured expense, alleviating financial burden on the state.
Douglas candidly addressed potential public concerns, acknowledging that the construction site might appear worse before improvements become visible. He attributed slight delays to equipment mobilization and technical challenges, reassuring the public about the project’s methodical approach.
“We have declared that the fix comprises three components, the first of which is welding plates to seal the de-clutch sections. That process is over 50% completed. The second phase involves filling the space between the welded plates and the original quay wall. We would have declared that this section will be filled with concrete. The concrete is going to be placed underwater. The process began a few weeks ago and continues daily, with sections that are ready being filled with concrete”.
Douglas said the quay wall section would look worse before it gets better.
“We can’t start the compaction phase until you have enough length that is finished and grouted with concrete. There is a basic technical challenge in terms of space. You know, you have multiple crews working on different assignments. You have to prioritise safety and ensure that the work is done safely.”
“I know originally we would have said June, but naturally we’re doing construction; there would have been some equipment and mobilisation challenges, which would have accounted for the delay between us saying we would start the compaction in June and the compaction actually being scheduled to commence in August, and then we still have to mobilise our technical crews to oversee that. So it’s an active construction site, and the public should expect to see changes along the quay wall sections; as we said, it will look worse before it gets better.”
Douglas also noted that there’s an annual review, which is done where consultants are independently selected to come to Saint Vincent and speak to all of the key stakeholders so that they can have a full picture as to what is happening on the port project.
“Now, in 2022, when we started, we were given an A; in 2023, we were also graded an A, and in 2024, while the portfolio, which includes the port, was graded a B, the port modernisation project was graded an A. Why are we being graded A despite all of these challenges? It is because we keep meeting our timelines and the project keeps performing well. And that’s not my assessment. That’s not the contractor’s assessment. That’s the assessment of independent reviewers who worked on behalf of the financiers, because they have to keep tabs on what Saint Vincent is doing with the investment,” Douglas stated”.
