Faulty design, weak foundation doomed Port Kaituma wharf from the start – Mahipaul

What this source establishes

APNU MP Ganesh Mahipaul contends the Port Kaituma Wharf's structural problems originate in engineering error and inadequate site investigation before construction, not contractor failure. This is a political allegation, not an engineering finding. Mahipaul attributes design responsibility to Caribbean Engineering and Management Consultants Inc. (CEMCO), arguing the contractor merely built to supplied specifications. Mahipaul's specific technical claims — steel piles that failed to penetrate into firm ground and rem

Key claims

• [ALLEGATION] APNU MP Ganesh Mahipaul contends the Port Kaituma Wharf's structural problems originate in engineering error and inadequate site investigation before construction, not contractor failure. This is a political allegation, not an engineering finding.
• [ALLEGATION] Mahipaul attributes design responsibility to Caribbean Engineering and Management Consultants Inc. (CEMCO), arguing the contractor merely built to supplied specifications.
• [SINGLE SOURCE] Mahipaul's specific technical claims — steel piles that failed to penetrate into firm ground and remained embedded in soft sediment; siting on former "Log Pond" land, a previous sawmill site containing buried debris; an oversized concrete retaining wall; improperly sized steel components; underestimated backfill calculations — are carried only in this account on 31 July.
• Mahipaul is quoted: "Imagine trying to build a house on soft mud instead of solid ground. No matter how well you build it, it will eventually start to sink or fail."
• Mahipaul is quoted: "The supports failed. Some of the steel tie rods snapped under the pressure."
• The Port Kaituma project is stated as costing $1.4 billion and requiring substantial remedial work after structural movement, preventing the new MV Ma Lisha from docking.
• [ALLEGATION] Mahipaul criticises CEMCO's continued receipt of major government contracts, including oversight of Gas-to-Energy infrastructure.

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