Contractor blames CEMCO for design flaws that crippled $1.4B Port Kaituma Stelling

(Kaieteur News) – Contractor, Parmeshwar Jagmohan has blamed design flaws by engineering firm Caribbean Engineering and Management Consultants Inc. (CEMCO) for the structural failures that halted construction of the G$1.4 billion Port Kaituma Stelling, saying the defects emerged just two weeks before the facility was due for completion and forced work to stop.

Jagmohan, head of International Import and Supplies, explained that structural defects have emerged before the facility was set to be completed. “We found some snapping by the tie rod, and we informed the ministry, everything came to an abrupt halt,” Jagmohan said. Subsequent investigations by the Ministry of Public Works, the Transport and Harbours Department, and independent consultants exonerated the contractor after tie-rod samples sent to Canada for strength testing confirmed that the materials met exact contract specifications.

Instead, multi-party evaluations exposed critical flaws in CEMCO’s initial design, including incomplete site research. “There were many errors from the consultant’s side. We had many meetings and they did accept, it was their fault,” Jagmohan revealed. He pointed out that soil testing was performed exclusively on land, leaving the underwater foundation completely unexamined.