MV Barima CoI: Commissioners get hands-on with site inspection at Kingston wharf 

The Commission of Inquiry (CoI) into the MV Barima tragedy, chaired by Justice Godfrey Phillip Smith, conducted a site visit on Thursday at the Transport and Harbours Department (T&HD) wharf in Kingston, Georgetown.

All the other members of the Commission, including Captain Hamada Fouda, Nyree Dawn Alfonso, Rear Admiral (Ret’d) Hayden Pritchard, and Dr Andrzej Jasionowski, were also at the site visit.
Speaking at the wharf following the visit, Secretary to the Commission and Attorney-at-Law Javid Shadick said the Commissioners visited the Transport and Harbours Department wharf in Kingston, Georgetown, where they inspected the bond area, passenger facilities, and the MV Militia, which was docked at the port.
The Commissioners also visited the Transport and Harbours Department’s building in Kingston.
Meanwhile, in explaining the importance of the investigation, Shadick noted that the Commissioners each specialise in different areas.
“As you would know, the terms of reference are very broad, and what we are doing is that the Commissioners, each one of them, have their own speciality; they’re all persons who are in the maritime area, so they are the ones who would have wanted to do the inspection. The terms of reference also cater for a lot of recommendations, etc. And that is what they have been doing.”
The CoI into the MV Barima tragedy commenced its work on Wednesday, with the Commissioners meeting with witnesses.
During that meeting, families were informed that the contract to salvage the sunken vessel had been awarded to Guyanese-owned company BK International for $1.3 billion.
The relatives were also told that the process of raising the MV Barima could begin before the end of October, nearly three months after the vessel capsized, killing 73 persons, with another 30 remaining unaccounted for.
In addition, the Commissioners assured the families that the inquiry would be conducted over a six-month period without interference.
They also disclosed that, since their appointment, they had collected documents and statements that must be verified before they could be admitted as evidence.
Government Ministers responsible for the maritime sector could be called to testify before the CoI into the July 18 capsizing and sinking of the MV Barima if their evidence is considered necessary.
Commission Chairman Justice Godfrey Smith made the position clear during the inquiry’s preliminary public hearing on Wednesday, while stressing that Commissioners would first have to assess the evidence before determining who should be called.
Asked whether Ministers would be required to testify, Smith said, “And if it becomes clear that we require the evidence of a Minister, they will be asked to come before the Commission.”
Smith said the Commission would not make assumptions about responsibility before examining the available evidence.
The inquiry is expected to examine the roles of the Maritime Administration Department (MARAD) and the Transport and Harbours Department, including vessel inspection, certification, maintenance, supervision and regulatory enforcement.
It will also consider whether the country’s maritime safety framework was adequate and whether existing requirements were properly implemented.
The inquiry will examine six broad areas: the vessel’s seaworthiness and safety; passenger and cargo operations; crew qualifications and conduct; search, rescue, and recovery efforts; regulatory and institutional oversight; and human factors and emergency decision-making.
The response following the sinking will also come under scrutiny, including the actions of public authorities, emergency services and maritime agencies.
The Commission will examine available resources, communications received and transmitted, and decisions taken during rescue and recovery operations.
Smith said more than 100 potential witnesses had been referred to during the proceedings, although the Commission has not confirmed a final number.
The MV Barima capsized and sank on July 18, 2026, approximately 9.3 nautical miles off Devonshire Castle on the Essequibo Coast.
The passenger and cargo ferry had departed the Kingston Goods Wharf in Georgetown at about 15:15h on its scheduled journey to Port Kaituma in the North West District.
However, at about 23:01h, the vessel transmitted a distress signal after encountering difficulties off the Essequibo Coast near the mouth of the Pomeroon River.
A total of 179 persons, including 18 crew members, were onboard. The disaster claimed 73 lives, while 76 persons survived, and approximately 30 remain unaccounted for.
Three Transport and Harbours Department (T&HD) employees have since been charged with murder over the tragedy. The accused were all members of the MV Barima’s crew on July 18, the day of the fatal incident. They are Captain Kevin Price, called “KP”, 40, of Melanie Damishana, East Coast Demerara (ECD); chief mate Rondell Dwayne Roberts, 42, of Grove Public Road, East Bank Demerara (EBD); and goods superintendent Delon Granderson, 33, of Fellowship, West Coast Demerara (WCB).