The "450 Ton Payload Arrives" Story

Foreword:  Recently I wrote of a trial that was going on in Sint Maarten.  It had to do with the murder of two American citizens who died when they were stabbed to death by three men in the area of the island known as Cupecoy.  I just read that the judge in Sint Maarten has convicted the three men and issued prison sentences for their participation in the murders.  The lead defendant will receive a life sentence while his accomplices will be in prison for 20 years.  The couple will certainly be missed by their friends and relatives, but at least justice has been served and people are once again safe to travel on the island without the fear of being assaulted by the trio.  

The Marietje Andrea arriving in Sint Maarten

It was an ordinary day.  Reading In the Daily Herald island edition about the humongous vessel that delivered a package to the island of St. Maarten about a week ago.  The cargo transport vessel Marietje Andrea was the largest ship to ever enter the Simpson Bay Lagoon when it delivered the Swing Bridge that will be used to complete the new causeway that was under construction.  The ship entered through the Simpson Bay Drawbridge on May 3rd with the 220 foot long swing bridge that weighed 450 tons. The Marietje Andrea is 413 feet long and 49 feet wide with a gross tonnage of 5,418.  It is the longest vessel to ever enter the Simpson Bay Lagoon.  The causeway will connect the area around the Princess Juliana Airport with the Cole Bay area.  For years Carol and I have traveled to St. Martin for vacation.  We land at the airport that is on the Dutch side of the island and after picking up our car rental, head to the French side of the island.  Being that there is one main road that circles the island, we either have to turn right or left when exiting the airport parking lot in order to head to our villa rental.  By turning to the left we have to travel approximately 25 minutes to reach our destination whereas if we turn to the right it takes us about 35 minutes.  Difference being the traffic that clogs the streets that lead us past the Simpson Bay Drawbridge and through the Cole Bay area to our rental.  I think the new causeway, that has been under construction for over a year, will help to eliminate some time from either direction.  The causeway will take the airport traffic directly to the Cole Bay area, eliminating the heavy traffic on the Dutch side of the island.  But, in order for large and small ships and boats to navigate through Simpson Bay from the Dutch to the French side, a bridge was necessary.  That is why the swing bridge will be part of the causeway.  I had a chance to see both ends of the causeway while visiting on the island recently.  One end will be close to the supermarket where we shop while the other end is close to the airport.  Should be an easy journey to our destination when the bridge is finished.  Carol and I thought of going to watch the vessel come through the drawbridge, but knew it would be hard to find parking close by and we really didn't want to take a day away from relaxing on the beach.  The causeway Swing Bridge left Hollandia Shipyard in the Netherlands on April 19, arriving May 3rd.  The day before the arrival of the vessel we saw what looked like dredging units working in the area around the drawbridge.  We guessed that they were making sure that the water's depth through the channel under the bridge was deep enough to accommodate the vessel and it's load.  I read that there was a 32 inch allowance on either side of the vessel when passing through the drawbridge.  Pretty close!  The ship waited until high tide to make the voyage through the drawbridge to give more distance under the ship and at 1:05 pm the bell for the drawbridge to open sounded and road traffic halted. As the vessel's stern passed through the bridge, crowds cheered and several blasts from the ship's horn sounded.  The island's dignitaries were all out to watch the historic sight.   I'm sorry we missed the spectacle that took about 30 minutes to inch through the drawbridge.  Removing the swing bridge from the ship took 3 1/2 hours.  It was slid sideways off the ship with hydraulic jacks into position on the causeway.  The Marietje Andrea will exit Simpson Bay tomorrow at 5:00 pm with the same fanfare as when it entered.  This time it will be sitting a little higher in the water!  I was lucky enough to find some great photos that were taken by a fellow poster on TravelTalkOnline.  Thanks Elaine for allowing me to share your photos with my readers.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.

Preparing for the vessel to enter through the drawbridge.

The vessel waiting to enter the drawbridge.

The drawbridge starting to open with the vessel on the left.

Passing through the drawbridge.

This photo shows the swing bridge on the vessel as it passes through the drawbridge.

Many crafts are escorting the vessel after it is through the drawbridge.

Passing through the causeway with the swing bridge on board.