THE Department of Public Works has reviewed the contract between Imperial Pacific International and Ocean Bee LLC for the dismantling of tower cranes at IPI’s unfinished high-rise hotel-casino in Garapan.
IPI signed an agreement with Ocean Bee LLC on Nov. 2, 2023 for the removal of tower crane Nos. 5, 6 and 1 following DPW’s ultimatum last month. The tower cranes pose “actual and immediate danger,” DPW said.
Earlier this month, Ocean Bee LLC General Manager He Guo Qiang submitted a copy of the contract to DPW’s Building Safety Division.
DPW Secretary Ray N. Yumul and the acting building safety official, Yvonne B. Tenorio, told Quiang in a joint letter that the contract “is an opportunity for IPI to resolve these safety issues.”
But the DPW officials also asked Quiang to submit for their review and approval a copy of the bond insurance, a list of employees hired to do the work, and the timeframe for dismantling the cranes.
Yumul and Tenorio told Qiang that DPW looks forward to working with Ocean Bee LLC to address the long-standing safety issues with the “swift dismantling of the tower cranes.”
In an interview, IPI Director How Yo Chi said they are also working to have an Occupational Safety and Health Administration representative at the worksite to ensure compliance with federal safety law when removing the tower cranes.
