St Helena : St Helena BAILEY BRIDGE and SHARP UPDATE
Submitted by Saint Helena Herald (Public Relations Information Office) 19.12.2009 (Article Archived on 16.01.2010)
The Bailey bridge forms a key part of the St Helena Access Ramp Project (SHARP for short). By use of a pontoon moored beyond the worst of the swell movement, with a hinged bridge to the wharf, it is intended to enable passengers on cruise ships to come ashore in swells that are deemed by the ships’ captains too great to use the landing steps.
BAILEY BRIDGE and SHARP UPDATE
The Bailey bridge forms a key part of the St Helena Access Ramp Project (SHARP for short). By use of a pontoon moored beyond the worst of the swell movement, with a hinged bridge to the wharf, it is intended to enable passengers on cruise ships to come ashore in swells that are deemed by the ships’ captains too great to use the landing steps.
The technical challenges of locating the pontoon, locating the bridge on the pontoon and the wharf, and providing safe access for passengers, are considerable. The solutions are still evolving and the Chief Engineer at PWSD issued a statement on 27th November in which he stated that modifications had been made to earlier designs. He was content that the components of which he had overseen the design had been tested to the point they were technically safe, but at that date they had not been tested in operation collectively. Such a test, making all of the components work together, was made on 28th November. It proved that the engineering principles, involving rocking bearings on sliding plates, worked well but components of the design needed further work. In particular the means of locating the bridge in the rockers proved unduly difficult, partly because tolerances were not right, and the position was not reached where the bridge could be used. Work to correct the defects and develop the designs further is programmed for the coming weeks.
Members of Legislative Council were brought up to date on the project on 11th December and they took the opportunity to raise questions on various aspects. Safety in deployment and safety in use are the paramount concerns of the project group which meets regularly to review progress. Accordingly, whilst mindful of the dates of visits to St Helena by future cruise ships, the priority is to achieve a practicable and safe solution rather than meet a specific target date. In the meantime a platform is to be constructed near the wharf landing point of the bridge to enable the ferry operator and rescue service to access their boats in poor sea conditions. This should be in place in January.
The SHARP remains high on St Helena Government’s agenda. Revenue has been lost in the past through cruise ships’ passengers not being able to come ashore. That risk will remain until we have a proper breakwater but in the interim a successful SHARP should help to reduce the risk.
Deputy Chief Secretary
Chair of the SHARP Working Group
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