The principals of Blue Ocean dredging company were in attendance at Wednesday’s Cabinet meeting where they were requesting additional funds to enable them to complete the task of dredging both the Crabbes Harbour and the S. John’s Harbour.
Cabinet sources say the principals were invited to address the scale of the dredging that is taking place at Crabbes and in the St. John’s Harbour. Blue Ocean’s principals reported that the firm hired to supplement their dredging efforts at Crabbes, has not been able to remove the rocky material that has proven to be a challenge to deepening the channel.
Larger cement-carrying vessels and liquid natural gas (LNG) vessels, require a deeper draught than exists. The ability to remove the rock requires some bigger equipment, Blue Ocean reported, to crack and rip the rock from its foundation.
Blue Ocean also reported that its equipment can remove three times as much material as the other company’s ocean excavator. It requires payments that will allow it to purchase spare parts, repair damaged equipment, purchase fuel, and to pay its employees.
