Friday, January 27, 2012

Building on sand or rocks

from w
I read that the wharf being built on Bua to ship out the bauxite is in trouble because it's being built on soft sand and rocks have to be shoved down to give some steady ground! Reminds me of the kids song 'The wise man built his house upon the rock' and so on! (Go to a youtube site as follows: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wDhaAWHjVRM ) The barge is already in Vanua Levu to pick up the bauxite - it's at Malau, near Labasa.
From Fiji Sun today:

Bauxite jetty contruction delay
January 28, 2012 | Filed under: Fiji News | Posted by: newsroom
By SHRATIKA NAIDU

The construction work of the 800-metre wharf including the jetty in the district of Navakasiga, in Bua has been put on hold. The work was supposed to be completed by end of this month and the first shipment was expected to take place next month. However, this work has been delayed not because of bad weather, but other problems.

Acting Roko Tui Bua Jale Sigarara said the local contractor Jaduram Industries Limited has reached the final stage of the construction which needs lots of materials. “The company constructed the jetty from the mainland into the deep sea and only 20 meters is left,” Mr Sigarara said. He said the work was delayed because the company was facing problems. “The company is carrying out the work right into the deep waters and they need to get lot of stones to fill up the jetty,” Mr Sigarara said.

He said the seabed was so soft that the company for many days has been stacking so many stones but it did not seem to settle at one position. “The company has to stock piles of stones because the mud on the seabed is too soft,” Mr Sigarara said.

He said the company has already resorted other means to get the work done. He said the landowners had been informed by the officials that the construction of the jetty would be completed next month. “We have been informed that the work would be done sometimes in February,” Mr Sigarara said. He said the first shipment of bauxite mine to China was expected to take place next month after the completion of the jetty.

Meanwhile, mined bauxite dug out from Naiwailevu has been stockpiled at Baravi, an area near the jetty.

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And a couple of weeks ago:

Barge arrives for first soil shipment
Serafina Silaitoga
Tuesday, January 10, 2012

A BARGE from China arrived in the country yesterday to take back soil from a bauxite mine in Bua. The barge which anchored at Malau, outside Labasa Town, will take to China the soil already stockpiled at Nawailevu in Bua.

Director of Mineral Resources Malakai Finau confirmed that soil from the bauxite mine had already been piled up awaiting the arrival of the barge. "There is a certain amount of soil that needs to be dug and piled up before the barge can make its way down to Navakasiga in Bua to load the first shipment of soil," he said. "Right now the work at the bauxite mine is well underway with the soil being stockpiled for the first shipment."

Mr Finau said construction work at the new wharf in Navakasiga was almost complete.
A team of government officials is expected to visit the bauxite mining area and the wharf site this week.

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