MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Falklands projected new port facility is a floating dock at FIPASS location

MLA Spink and Ms Clark gave an indication that the new facility should be able to be delivered more quickly, as the floating barges can be brought into the Islands

A tender was launched on July 10 for a new port facility for the Falkland Islands, following previous iterations of plans being deemed too costly. The tender is for a floating dock location, to be located in the same location as FIPASS, the current port facility.

MLA Roger Spink and Director of Development and Commercial Services Becky Clark explained that the change from a solid structure to a floating facility has no effect on the size of the new facility, but will hopefully “significantly reduce the capital outlay costs at the beginning,”

Ms Clark explained. The floating facility, as it will be similar to the currently operational port, will also have more easily estimated operations costs.

MLA Spink and Ms Clark gave an indication that the new facility should be able to be delivered more quickly, as the floating barges can be brought into the Islands, avoiding the full degree of construction which a solid structure would require.

This change will also allow a more swift “swapping out” of the new barges in place of the old FIPASS barges, not requiring the gradual building of the new structure while closing older parts of the port.

It is intended the new facility will meet the needs of the Islands for the next 50 years, once constructed, and will still meet a range of requirements for key clients and stakeholders including the fisheries; shipping services; stevedores; operations services and pilotage services.

“The project scope, although it’s been refined, it’s broadly the same to deliver that 50 year livability,” Ms Clark added.

Those responding to the tender are able to make use of much of the existing documentation from the previous iteration of the port plan; including environmental surveys, planning permissions, bathymetry and others.

The removal of FIPASS is included in the tender, with it being indicated by FIG, that the option for removal which is seen as most “desirable” is the barges being taken away and sold, recycled, with a secondary option of scuttling (sinking) the barges in a designated location.

MLA Spink added in regards to this that hopefully the providers which will bring the barges in will also have a viable route for removing them. (Penguin News)