THE deadline for those tendering to build the Falkland Islands new port was extended in order to answer further questions MLA Mark Pollard confirmed to Penguin news, “which is a good thing because there’s people interested and asking questions.
He said the evaluation period of the tenders is October to mid November and the Executive Council Paper on the review and the decision from the Tender Board review will be early next year.
Asked about the funds approved for remedial works to be managed by Atlink approved by Executive Council in February MLA Pollard said it was ongoing. He said previously there was an annual fund to keep replacing parts – however bearing in mind there was an intention to replace FIPASS that seemed a…
bit crazy. So this paper in terms of the funding was to replace that money.
“So over two years, it costs us the same amount as two years annually under the rolling figure we were using for the maintenance.
He said there were some really specific parts that needed more maintenance than others and quite a bit of that was down to the collision in 2018. Some of those works are further on than others
He said the electrical installation replacement had been a “monster of a job.”
He had recently been given a guided tour underneath FIPASS “the holes in the side are a huge worry” and a “recent report done that says that the degradation of the north west barge is speeding up it would appear. It doesn’t really do anything at the moment apart form access to the warehouse however at some point we are going to have to get rid of it and there was clear opposition to dragging it up and cutting it up and I don’t’ thin we really want to do that anyway. But at some point we’re going to have to patch it up and float it out and hopefully sink it or someone buys it. Bit it is definitely degrading faster…”