Building meets standard: Tunstall

 By HELEN TARAWA

The 13-storey Old Parliament House Tower in downtown Port Moresby was built according to PNG regulations and Australian standards, Nambawan Super chief executive officer Garry Tunstall said.

Responding to claims that the building had not met standard requirements when built, Tunstall said the building was now the first PNG building to be certified asbestos-free.

Asbestos is a group of fibrous materials used in insulation, fireproofing and building material.

Asbestos is a known carcinogen, a substance that causes cancer. 

Its use was banned by the Environmental Protection Agency in 1989 but is still present in many structures built before that time.

Exposure to asbestos is the leading cause of mesothelioma, a rare cancer involving the lining in the lungs.

Tunstall said in 2014 OPH Ltd, the developers of the OPH Building, were concerned with installations, services and general standard by contractor China Rail Construction Engineering (PNG) Ltd (CRCE). 

He said CRCE was given time and support to rectify the defects but were unable to do so to the satisfaction of OPH Ltd. 

He said the contract with CRCE was allegedly terminated by OPH Ltd in June of 2014. 

In July 2014, Lamana Development Ltd was contracted to complete the building with a revised anticipated completion date of Feb 2015.

In January 2015, as construction was completing, more problems were discovered and OPH immediately suspended all construction activities on site. 

Papua New Guinea OPH Ltd engaged another company and work was independently supervised by Coffey Environments Australia Pty Ltd. 

Rectification work has now restarted and completion is due by the end of this year.