Alderney crane out of action with no quick fix
ALDERNEY’S crane continues to be out of action, after repeated attempts to repair it have failed.
The temporary crane, even at a reduced capacity, is keeping Alderney supplied, as the £800,000 investment in the new crane is criticised.
An Alderney Harbour spokesman said there was currently no plan for the temporary crane to be removed from the harbour, as the new crane continued to be inoperable.
He added that although they want the situation to be resolved quickly, the waiting times for engineers to return and new parts to be shipped was unknown.
Alderney Shipping managing director Bruno Kay-Mouat said an electrical fault in the new crane means the situation is ongoing for the foreseeable future.
Mr Kay-Mouat added that the temporary crane has a reduced capacity compared to the new crane, meaning the weight of the containers has had to be adjusted, and fewer supplies are being regularly imported to Alderney.
Alderney States representative Alex Snowdon said that although he is grateful for the temporary crane’s assistance, the lack of communication regarding the repairs to the new crane and capability of fully supplying the island with essentials was alarming.
‘They seem to be passing the buck around at the moment, I don’t know who but the agency who sold it to us or the maker of the crane, someone needs to take responsibility, there needs to be some liability here, because it’s just not acceptable.’
The new crane was only installed in March, but has suffered repeated problems for several weeks. A temporary crane was brought in from Jersey and is costing £2,000 per day to keep the island stocked with essential supplies.
