2012-01-19, 13:20
Investments are not fully used in the port
© Vidmantas Matutis photo
Klaipeda port has not seen a year, when all the investments’ funds were used fully.
Designers and contractors at fault
In 2011, Klaipeda port has estimated 199.6 million LTL for investments. This was by far the largest amount of investment in the past decade. Director of Infrastructure at Klaipeda State Sea Port Authority Roma Museckiene claimed that the plan has implemented about 70 per cent.
“We have reasons for not being able to use all the funds. European Union funds were late; therefore, they were not used. We have also managed to change plans for the deepening of port. A lot of works have been done but not accredited and payments are transferred to 2012,” – assured Roma Museckiene.
The implementation of investment plans was also prevented by ill-prepared projects. The best example is the construction of 143 waterfront construction, which had to be completed in 2011.
“Due to the designers’ delays, inability to keep up with the pace of construction schedules, we see that after the completion of a project, there is a need for additional improvements. We have to prepare new documents for connection of previously built quay and the new one. We will also have to develop new procedures and that takes time,” – explained Roma Museckiene.
In some sites, the works are behind schedule for 2-3 months. One of such objects is the reconstruction of berths 8-9 used by Klaipeda Stevedoring Company (KLASCO). It was estimated to finish the reconstruction until March 2012. The present results show that only 11.9 million LTL were used out of 24 million LTL. It is estimated that the works will probably be finished sometime in May.
Unused funds
The Port Authority has allocated 15 million LTL for the works of deepening the port. The company Rohde Nielsen is deepening the port from September 23 2011. It was planned that work regulations will be signed in October. However Rohde Nielsen is deepening the port using the tactics of the work carried out on all bars provided. At the end of 2011, the company has submitted evaluations of only one bar. The Port Authority found out some things to be improved. Therefore, they have not paid a single litas for the work carried out in the port. The hopes of Port Authority that the company will manage to do most of the work by 2011 were grounded. There were contracts signed on September 6, 2011. The company had to absorb 20.7 million LTL in the period of 120 days. According to the contract, the company had to dredge 461 thousand cubic meters of soil and remove 600 boulders. It was still unclear on January 6, 2012 how the works are carried out, though the official deadline was over. In reality, there were 80 days suitable for work until the deadline.
Scandalous situation
The work of Port Authority with Rhode Nielsen is marked by scandalous history. To work specifically with the Rhode Nielsen’s project, the Port Authority has hired its former employee Gerdenas Matulis. Presently, this employee does not work in the Port Authority. It is unclear whether he is connected to the claims made by Eugenijus Gentvilas, CEO of Klaipeda State Sea Port Authority.
“We have invited a specialist. I said: you have the right experience, please help. After the period of three months, I had to sack him because he made the same mistake for eleven times. It is hard to believe that that mistake was not done on purpose. The mistake was done on purpose to serve the interests of contractor but not of Port Authority,” – assured Mr. Gentvilas.
He explained that the contractor was given a few times larger tasks to dig up soil than was required. The data about such activities were given to the Construction Technical Certification Centre. This employee will not receive works related to water projects in the future.
Such an activity could be evaluated as a legal offence. Rohde Nielsen has been given tasks to keep port’s dirt as an actual part of the deepening. The costs of deepening are higher than those of cleaning. If such works were taken as deepening, the port might have faced loses of millions of LTL. Mr. Gentvilas assured that the Port Authority will not pay more than estimated. He thinks that this situation will not disturb the further works of the port.
