MV Barima CoI: MARAD cites communication gaps, difficulty verifying distress signal 

Communication gaps emerged as a major weakness in the emergency response to the sinking of the MV Barima, with the Maritime Administration Department (MARAD)’s Emergency Operations Coordinator, Captain John Flores, acknowledging that inadequate communication systems hampered his ability to provide clear instructions during the critical hours of the operation.
Flores addressed the communication shortcomings on Thursday, during Commission of Inquiry (CoI) hearings, when questioned by Commissioner Rear Admiral (Ret’d) Hayden Pritchard about aspects of the response procedures that had left him dissatisfied.
“Communication was a big issue on the night, which is what we are now seeking to address,” he stated.
When asked whether he was aware of any formal recommendations to improve communication in the maritime sector, Flores pointed to plans that are expected to be implemented shortly.
Against the backdrop of these shortcomings, the Government is moving to strengthen the country’s maritime emergency response network, with Flores stating that plans are in place to establish additional Maritime Rescue Coordination Centres (MRCCs) along the coast as early as next week. The expansion is intended to improve communication coverage along Guyana’s coastline to approximately 90 per cent.
“The Government had a plan not only to have this MRCC in place in a short space of time, which is next week, but there is also a plan to put sub-MRCCs along the coast so that total coverage is established along the coast of Guyana. In these MRCCs, the latest communication technology will be available. Within a month, once it is completely established, we will have, I would say, 90 per cent communication effectiveness on the coast of Guyana because there will be satellite communication and everything. So, even if the radio is out of range, we will have ways of communicating,” Flores said.

Frequent false distress alerts
Compounding these challenges, Flores explained that MARAD frequently receives false distress alerts, making it difficult to immediately verify the authenticity of signals and further complicating the communication process during emergencies.
“In that exact moment, we were not quite sure it was a vessel because it could have been an aircraft, but it was a distress message coming from a signal at a particular stage. We actually thought it was something other than a vessel, like an aircraft or something, because over the years we have been receiving many fake alerts.”
He added, “They go off all the time, so it could be from any source. At the moment we received it, we could only verify it afterwards,” Flores said.
Despite acknowledging these communication shortcomings, Flores maintained that the operation to save lives was conducted in a timely manner.
However, his assertions come against the backdrop of testimony presented to the Commission on Monday, which revealed that a Maritime Administration Department (MARAD) tug deployed to assist the MV Barima arrived at the search location approximately eight hours after the ferry’s emergency beacon first transmitted a distress signal.
The Commission is examining the response to the sinking, including the actions of public authorities, emergency services and maritime agencies. It will also scrutinise the resources available, communications received and transmitted, and decisions taken during the rescue and recovery operations.
The MV Barima was en route to Port Kaituma, Region One (Barima-Waini), with 179 persons on board when it capsized and sank off the Essequibo Coast in Region Two (Pomeroon-Supenaam).
At least 76 persons survived the tragedy, while 73 have been confirmed dead and another 30 remain missing. Efforts to reposition the sunken vessel, which lies on the seabed approximately nine miles off the Essequibo Coast, were unsuccessful.
Meanwhile, after hours of questioning by the five-member Commission, Flores requested legal advice, bringing his testimony to a pause.
Flores, coordinator of MARAD’s emergency operations division, made the request after sustained questioning about his appointment as director of maritime safety and whether ferries operating in Guyana may have been exempted from certain documentation requirements.
The request came as the Commission continued to probe issues surrounding maritime safety oversight and the regulatory requirements governing ferry operations in Guyana.
On July 18, the MV Barima capsized and sank off the Essequibo Coast while en route to Port Kaituma Region One with 179 on board. While 76 persons survived the horrific boat accident, 73 persons have been confirmed dead, and another 30 remain unaccounted for.
The CoI into the MV Barima tragedy will continue its oral hearings on November 10 at the Arthur Chung Conference Centre (ACCC), Greater Georgetown.