On August 5, 2011, the teams of the consortium VINCI Construction Grands Projets – WMI carried out a helicopter operation for the JWSIP (Jamaican Water Supply Improvement Project), A2 component, in Kingston, Jamaica.
This operation involved transporting part of the pipes, valves, flowmeters, elbows and various accessories to the foot of the Hermitage Dam from a platform set up on the upper part of the dam. The loads transported can reach up to 700 kg.
It took 32 trips to deliver all the equipment to the four sites along the pipe system connecting the Hermitage Dam with the Constant Spring station.
The operation was carried out by the Jamaican Defense Force, which provided a helicopter with a pilot, a co-pilot, and a ground attendant, as well as a refueller truck on site.
The A2 component of the JWSIP project involves rehabilitating the river intakes as well as the raw water pipe systems, which feed the two drinking-water production stations for the City of Kingston. These pipes are located north of Kingston and are found in areas of dense vegetation areas and that are difficult to access.