First Power-Generating Ship Arrives in Lebanese Waters, but Cannot Dock due to Logistic Problems
إقرأ هذا الخبر بالعربية
The first of two power-generating vessels arrived in Lebanon on Saturday a week after it set sail to Lebanon.
The “Fatmagul Sultan” arrived in Lebanon's regional waters, but it failed to dock in Beirut Port due to “logistic problems,” reported the National News Agency.
The ship therefore cannot become functional until the "technical" problems are resolved.
NNA said that the ship is currently anchored near the Zouk power plant and it “probably won't be able to dock in a port for days.”
Reports in December had expected the ship to arrive in Beirut in April even though it was initially expected to dock in Lebanon in November 2012.
Energy Minister Jebran Bassil explained at the time that the delay was attributed to the government's failure to provide the costs of leasing the ships from Turkish power company Karadeniz.
The cabinet agreed in 2012 to lease power-generating vessels that would help provide 700 megawatts of electricity for a period of three years.
Lebanon has long suffered from electricity outages because of shortages at its power plants whose maximum capacity is less than 1,500 megawatts but the country’s actual need exceeds 2,300 megawatts.
16 February 2013, 11:31
66
I wonder what those technical and logistic problems are. They probably forgot to bribe someone.
16 February 2013, 16:05
31
No my dear you are wrong. Bassil knew about the problems and signed a contract providing for huge indemnities to the turkish company if it cannot moore as per the contract. Needless to say a substancial part of the indemnities will be paid back to you know who by the turkish contracter.
16 February 2013, 11:59
58
logistical problem: they forgot to prepare cables from the sea to the distribution station. This is why electricity has to be privatized. It is badly managed. Instead of 10000 useless employees hired to please berri, we need 100 competent employees who would do the same job.
16 February 2013, 12:32
00
I'm not surprised. This is the lebanese government 0 PLANNING.
They could've built 4 power plants in the time between start of arguments over the power generating vessels and now. And the taxpayer is paying and still voting for the same people!!! and we call ourselves SMART!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
16 February 2013, 13:29
22
That's not what the ship looks like... Just look up "karadenizholding" on facebook and you'll see what it really looks like- a floating powerplant
16 February 2013, 15:05
22
Total incompetence. The government has no business doing business. No competent engineer would want to work for the government.
16 February 2013, 16:12
31
No my dear you are wrong Bassil is very competent he knew firsthand about the problems and signed willingly a contract providing for huge indemnities to be paid to the turkish company if it cannot moore as per the contract. Needless to say a substancial part of these indemnities will be paid back to you know who by the turkish contractor. Bassil is very happy everything is going as planned.
16 February 2013, 19:13
00
Now i am not a march 14th fan or a march 8th fan, they both have crappy solutions to everything because they both are bloodsuckers. Even lighting up the highway with solar lamps like every country in the world, they cant do, i mean, if a lamp costs about 1000$ ( impossible but anyways) and u need two for each pole, meaning 2000$ , light up just 50 poles on 4-5km is just 100,000$... come on... solutions are easy in Lebanon, but money is invested in stupid solutions for stupid people that arent smart enough to revolt.
16 February 2013, 21:38
10
and yet, no power plants are being built nor are any planned to be built because Bassil's company didn't get the bid.
it would be nice if you addressed the question instead of trying to make it seem that everything is going great.
