Georgetown: The Ministry of Natural Resources is currently engaged with a mining company to remove dredge ‘Draga’ which currently sits a sunken wreck in the Mazaruni River. A crew of workers has built a specialised pontoon, which will be used to ‘float up’ the partly sunken dredge. The pontoon has three hydraulic winches and measures 28 feet wide and 68 feet long and 4 feet deep. It has 18 compartments. The plan is to fill the pontoon with water and then secure it to the sunken barge. The water will then be pumped out of the pontoon, which will cause it to rise up, taking the Draga with it. The pontoon when empty will have a lifting capacity of 180 tonnes. While the crew is on the site attempting to execute this plan, the speed of the water at the top of the Piereemap Falls, coupled with a prolonged rainy season, is making things difficult as the works entail the cutting of lavradors underwater. The works are set to progress as water levels are dropping making the operations less dangerous. The Ministry of Natural Resources will continue to monitor the situation in collaboration with the Maritime Administration Department (MARAD).
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