Opposition politicians have demanded answers on structural damage to the $60 million Heritage Wharf cruise ship pier at Dockyard.MPs from the One Bermuda Alliance directed a whole host of questions at Public Works Minister Derrick Burgess in the House of Assembly yesterday.They quizzed Mr Burgess after he said in a ministerial statement that he had hired an overseas marine engineering company to investigate the pier's design and construction.Mr Burgess said the investigation was complete and the independent investigators had left Bermuda, but he was awaiting their report.He said: “I believe it would be premature of me to speculate as to how this damage was caused at this point.”Shadow Transport and Tourism Minister Patricia Gordon-Pamplin asked if the Ministry had withheld retention money to allow for repairs. Mr Burgess simply repeated that he was waiting for the report.Shadow Public Works Minister Mark Pettingill asked when the Ministry was alerted to the problems and Mr Burgess said: “I'm not sure of the exact date, maybe a couple of weeks ago.”Shadow Education Minister Grant Gibbons asked to see a copy of the engineer's form signing off the work and Mr Burgess said: “Yes, whatever information you want, we'll get to you.”Opposition leader John Barritt then questioned when the report would be ready, and Mr Burgess said: “Very shortly.”Mr Barritt then turned his questioning to insurance in case “something untoward does happen”.Mr Burgess had earlier said he understood public concerns about safety, but the investigation had determined there is “no risk to the cruise ships berthing at the pier or any risk to the cruise ship passengers”.Answering the question, Mr Burgess said: “There's always insurance, that's normal.”Mr Burgess then addressed Mr Barritt's question about a performance bond, which provides insurance for construction projects, saying the project was not under his management but he would try to get the information.Mr Barritt asked if he could get the information that day and Mr Burgess replied: “He will get it when he gets it”.This lead to further questions about which Ministry was taking responsibility for the investigation. Mr Burgess said the Ministry of Public Works was working closely with the Ministry of Transport, adding: “Public Works are now overseeing”.On Thursday The Royal Gazette revealed the damage to the two-year-old pier, which cost 54 percent more to build than its original $39 million contract price. We printed pictures showing cracked steel at the top of the thruster wall and a warped section in the eastern most mooring pier.Mr Burgess told the House the photos printed in the newspaper “could lead one to jump to many conclusions”. However he said his many years of experience in his Ministry had taught him “never to jump to conclusions but rather deal with facts”.Mr Burgess said: “The Ministry of Public Works intends to correctly identify the cause of the failure of the thruster wall once the report from the independent engineering specialists is complete and will keep the public abreast of these findings accordingly”.