Condition of Tinian harbor still poor, limiting deliveries

Eight months after an emergency was declared, nothing has been done to rectify the poor condition of the Tinian harbor, according to Tinian airport and seaport manager Joseph Mendiola.

He said the earliest completion date for the emergency repair of the Tinian harbor is in June 2012. The initial target completion date was end of 2011.

It was discovered in July last year that four major bollards at the Tinian harbor were ready to collapse, a situation that would hamper the operation of the island because it will render the harbor incapable to accommodate bigger shipments such as fuel tankers.

A bollard is a short, thick post on the deck of a ship or on a wharf to which a ship’s rope may be secured.

As of last week, Mendiola said the bollards and fenders have already been ordered and once delivered, will be installed both at the harbor and at the seawall, which also needs replacement.

Mendiola told Saipan Tribune that shipments of Mobil Oil’s fuel tanker are still being hampered by the harbor’s condition and is presently doing minimal shipment based on the capability of the existing bollards.

The harbor’s emergency repair had an initial $500,000 budget sourced from the aborted instrument landing system project, which at that time had $3.2 million in CIP funds. Since the cancellation of ILS project, these monies were moved to other Tinian projects, of which $500,000 was allocated for the harbor. This amount includes the design, assessment, installation of four new bollards, and removal of the harbor fender.

Mendiola disclosed that after deducting the cost for architectural and engineering design for the project, the funds left for the actual repair was about $425,000.

Because biddings that came in were higher than this budget, an additional of about $270,000 was again reprogrammed for the harbor. The total cost for the project is now at $700,000, according to Mendiola.

He said the harbor needs at least three strong bollards to hold bigger vessels. He said the existing bollards are still being used for small shipments. He believes that as long as the poor condition of the harbor exists, people on Tinian will be paying for higher fuel prices because of the additional operation costs factored into the price.