Minister Moniz Issues Heritage Wharf Update
Minister of Public Works Trevor Moniz today [June 2] issued the following update regarding Heritage Wharf saying good progress has been made on the northern mooring dolphin over the past week.
Minister Moniz said, “The residents of Dockyard will be aware that the Norwegian Breakaway is safely docking at Heritage Wharf on a regular basis. We continue with the finishing works to the breasting dolphins and hope to have them cleared and fully fitted out for her next visit on the 5th June.
“We are awaiting deliveries of some of the fixing materials early in the week and have communicated all details to the Bermuda Customs officials who have continued to work with us to ensure the job remains on track.
“This is an example of the effective supply chain network that has formed during the project, the communications and strong partnerships that we have developed we hope will remain to improve the efficiency of future projects.
“Bermuda will unfortunately be without the visits of the Grandeur of the Seas for the next couple of weeks while she undergoes a refit. During this time we have taken the opportunity with the cooperation of Norwegian Cruise lines to relocate the Norwegian Dawn to Kings Wharf.
“While we had scheduled effectively to complete works with her in place it is easier for both security and noise constraints if she is placed a little further away from the works.
“We have made good progress on the northern mooring dolphin over the past week, the majority of the lower 120ft pile lengths are now in and four of the extensions have been welded to make these 180 – 200ft in length.
“This variance in length is because we have different lengths of cut-off pile from the earlier works that we are reusing and also the fact that the design pile lengths vary. The structural modelling of the dolphins is complex and each pile acts differently depending on how the ship pushes or pulls on the wharf.
“Because we have an open book contract where we pay for the work done rather than an agreed rate for each foot driven we have been driving beyond the design toe levels at times simply because it is more cost effective to drive the pile for another 15 or 30 minutes than to spend an hour cutting the end of the pipe off which is then wasted material. This way we can drive another 5 or 10 feet at less cost and get a stronger wharf.
“By the end of next week we should have most of the piles in the northern dolphin driven to toe level or deeper. Generally we are aiming for 180 feet down which means that we are setting the piles in the volcanic rock below the Bermuda Stone deposits that can contain cave features even at great depth.
“Scheduling of the concrete pours in mid to late June is in progress”, Minister Moniz concluded.
Bermuda politics is soo boring and immature and just plain annoying.. All the talk over the past 2 weeks about a renovations on a dock and a plane trip on a private jet.. meanwhile……………………………………………………… Give me a break already.
When you look at the cost of HW…and the cost of transporting all the tourists, we are peeing in the wind. We need a hotel that sits on the land, not floating in the water. The cruise ship industry does NOT have the economic interests of their destination at heart. Bermuda makes zilch in payroll taxes from the workers on the ships. Tax commissioner makes zilch in land tax. BELCO sells no electricity to a ship. Bermuda tradesmen make zero money looking after a ship. Bermuda wholesalers earn zilch selling food to ships. Bermuda gardeners and painters are not used to look after ships. The only positive effect are those tourists which love Bermuda and decide to return by plane. I guess a cruise ship is better than nothing.
Your ignorance is scary. Earnings from cruise ships include:
1. cabin tax
2. passenger tax
3. port fees
4. pilotage fees
5. local water purchases
6. local provisions purchased (Butterfield & Vallis etc)
7. onshore spend by passengers
8 onshore spend by crew (separated out because they have bank accounts and use other services here because they’re here every week for 21-26 weeks)
9. transport – taxis, minibuses, ferries, buses
10. tour operators – ask the Segway guys or Beez Evans
11. on-island sponsorship of Harbour Nights. Destination Dockyard etc.
get the picture? Still think they don’t matter? Grudgingly, you amd many others need to be thankful for Heritage Wharf because had it not been for that dock, there wouldn’t even be half a loaf to bitch about.
Thank you, Mr. Moniz….Had the pier not been ready Bermuda would have been without the Grandeur of the Seas AND the new Norwegian Breakaway. At least we are getting several thousand visitors at the west end per week. Mr. Moniz, you must have been in the Bda Regiment – 7-P’s – Prior Preparation and Planning Prevents P ss Poor Performance..Thanks again OBA
Trevor Moniz is the country’s best known draft dodger. He went to court to get out of serving in the Regiment. Can’t you tell? Much ado about nothing.
This time get it right – if not Opposition will be crying again.
Minister Moniz must be given credit for updating the public about the progress of the works at the Heritage Wharf. However, he should not be giving credit for having the wharf ready for the Norwegian Breakaway because it is using the wharf which was built by the PLP. So rightly, credit should be given to the PLP.
One must also question why the budget for the wharf has increased from $22m to $28m, and why the time frame for completion has been extended to the end of the cruise season. This sounds awfully familiar to what the PLP used to do. Now I know that many on this thread will point to the goings on of the PLP, so let me say this: the PLP royally messed up and the people were right to make the decision they did on December 17th. But, do not let your dissatisfaction with the PLP blind you as to the shenanigans or mismanagment of the OBA.
I do however look forward to further updates by the Minister and I trust that he will ensure that the end product will be safe and something Bermuda will be proud of.
I’m almost certain no-one believed the entire project would be 100% complete before the ships first vist. The wharf was made as ready as neccessary to allow the ship to dock safely; credit goes where credit is due. If it was built properly with enough thought to where the industry is going we’d have a dock of sufficient size and structural strength to hold the inevitable larger ships that will be sailing the oceans in years to come.
Don’t forget it can only dock if the winds permit and come from the right direction – all credit should go to the weather for being cooperative.
And as the PLP had signed on for the ships and the dockwork we should have started this work as soon as the last ship sailed and the end of last year. Instead the PLP let it sit out there and in typical fashion did not worry about it. Yet another screw up by the PLP added to the many others.
Thats because they the PLP had a bad feeling about the election- all the signs were there’
it should have been repaired as soon as it was broken but like you said the sat on it
now – they have a lot of nerve critizing the OBA for a problem they left.
I believe that the budget has increased because the condition of the existing work is much worse than was first thought.
The contractor made a small fortune and we got a wharf that needed millions of dollars to make it right.
we asked for transparency and we’re getting it.
Well Stated
You know Trevor, you really have to stop with the weekly updates & generally being so forthcoming on what is going on. The Opposition really has no idea of how to deal with such forthrightness & honesty. It is totally beyond their realms of understanding. They don’t know what to do.
You have to admit that Minister Moniz was ambiguous or even misleading when he said that the dock will be and was completed prior to the arrival of the Breakaway. Also, in his weekly updates at no time did he mention that if weather permits the Breakaway will be tied to the PLP dock. Why not? It was not politically expedient to do so.
I also note that the previous posts strategically fail to mention anything about the increased budget and the extention of time by the OBA to complete the wharf. Both of which are PLP-esque.
Most things seem to be beyond their realm of understanding Trianlgle Drifter particularly if it involves common sense and honesty.. They do know how to try to make mountains out of mole hills long may they reign as opposition……
How quickly you switch up. The PLP is following your playbook from the campaign. Look at what’s being criticized: an overspent capital project (never mind its importance to the economy); travel (never mind its importance to the economy) and the flip flop on gaming (never mind its importance to the economy). Sound familiar? It should.