A section of the pier at Petrojam in Kingston that was damaged by a ship. - photos by Norman Grindley/Chief Photographer

The sight at the Petrojam docks yesterday was significantly calmer than the harried scene on Tuesday morning, after a 42-tonne ship, ironically named Great News, collided with the offloading dock.

Energy Minister James Robertson assured that all necessary repairs were under way.

The ship, which split the dock in two, emerged with only a scrape. None of the crew were injured in the collision.

A minor oil spill that resulted from the crash was cleaned from the area by yesterday morning.

The minister's comments came during a press conference at Petrojam. He also outlined five steps that Petrojam was taking to ensure the nation's energy source continues to be well supplied. This includes the completion of two pipelines from an Esso terminal two miles east of the site, which would carry both diesel and LNG oil.

Oil would be imported into the Montego Bay ports and transported to Kingston. The company has located and is actively seeking to acquire two floating pipelines which would allow the current shipment, still on-board the ship, to be offloaded.

Being repaired and converted

Other companies' storage facilities might be used, and the current dock is being repaired and converted.

The cost of the repairs is estimated at approximately $6 million.

"That is a very, very rough estimate," Robertson warned. "As you saw, the divers are not even out of the water yet."

The estimate takes into consideration damage done to equipment, which includes broken pipelines and a crane that had fallen into the water.

This, however, does not create an immediate concern for the company, as Petrojam and its equipment are fully insured.

With regard to the current supply of oil on the island, Robertson stressed that there would be no crisis as the Jamaica Public Service Company Ltd and its private power suppliers have both confirmed they have enough energy stored to continue running the island's electricity without rationing or cutting off supply.

Robertson said the cause of the incident remained unclear and that he was waiting for the results of the ongoing investigation.

A photographer snaps a shot of the side of the ship that was damaged when it hit a Petrojam pier in Kingston.