MV Barima tragedy-Search & recovery operation continues in “choppy waters” – PM Phillips

– bodies of 30 victims are still missing

One week after the MV Barima capsized off the Essequibo Coast with 179 people onboard, the search and recovery operations continued on Saturday to locate just about 30 persons who remain missing. Prime Minister (PM) Brigadier (Ret’d) Mark Phillips, who is leading the Government’s emergency response efforts to the MV Barima tragedy, did not give a public update on Saturday. However, when contacted, he told Guyana Times that the diving operations continue despite the harsh Atlantic conditions.
“They still continued the diving operations. There has been no additional recovery of any bodies or no progress with the righting of the vessel… It was a difficult day today, and the water is choppy out there,” the PM explained.
The ill-fated MV Barima capsized and sank off the Essequibo Coast on the night of July 18 while en route to Port Kaituma, Region One (Barima-Waini). As of Friday, the death toll from this tragic boat accident is 73. Of those bodies recovered, 69 had been positively identified, and 63 of them have already been handed over to family members for funeral rites, for which the Government is covering all expenses. The additional bodies found were scheduled to be transported to their respective communities to be laid to rest.

Since Thursday, funeral services have been held across the country for the victims of this tragedy. The number of people rescued from last weekend’s horrific ferry accident remains at 76. Both aerial and maritime assets have been deployed to continue the search and recovery operations off the Essequibo Coast, Region Two (Pomeroon-Supenaam), where the sunken vessel is lying on its side, some nine miles away on the seabed in the Atlantic. The aim is to have the vessel positioned on its keel in order to bring it closer to shore where divers can safely enter. “There is a view that if we right the vessel, that itself may lead to us finding some more bodies,” the PM stated during Friday’s briefing.

Foreign support
Guyana is receiving support from regional partners, including the French Guiana army, the Brazilian navy, and the Trinidad and Tobago Coast Guard, which have deployed maritime assets and personnel, including divers, to aid in recovering the missing people. During Friday’s press briefing, PM Phillips indicated that these recovery efforts will continue “for as long as necessary” to not only bring closure to the families who are anxiously awaiting news of their missing loved ones but also to show dignity and respect to those 30 persons who perished in the tragedy and are still unaccounted for. Asked on Saturday how long the foreign teams will remain here to support this recovery mission, the PM told this publication that there was no timeline set for their stays here.
“They didn’t say how long they are here for, but I guess at some stage, we’ll have a meeting and we’ll have to decide… when we’ll stop or [when] the involvement of the foreign teams will stop. So, they’re still here, and they’re still diving,” Phillips posited. This publication understands that the divers, both local and foreign, managed to successfully attach cables and ropes to the sunken ferry on Wednesday. However, those closely involved in the recovery operation explained that when they tried to pull the vessel, the cables and ropes kept bursting. Despite the rough Atlantic conditions and some divers even becoming sick, the teams remain adamant in their efforts to move the vessel. In fact, at least five dives were carried out on Friday, each lasting about 45 to 60 minutes, during which one body was recovered.

Aerial surveillance
Meanwhile, aerial surveillance flights are also continuing to support the extensive search operation, which has been expanded by an additional 32 square miles – westward to Waini Point in Region One and eastward to Adventure in Region Two. Over the past week, President Dr Irfaan Ali has been on the ground at Charity, Essequibo Coast, where the recovered bodies are taken for identification and storage. Addressing anxious family members awaiting news of their missing loved ones, the head of state assured them that every available resource is being utilised in the recovery efforts. President Ali had previously told the families that if efforts to right the sunken vessel into a floating position failed, then a decision would have to be made in consultation with the families on salvaging the wreck. This, he pointed out, however, is a last resort.
“We’re hopeful that we don’t get to that [stage]. If we get to that, all of us together will have to make a decision as to the best option [forward],” the Guyanese leader informed relatives.
The MV Barima departed the Georgetown stelling at about 15:00 on Saturday on its scheduled voyage to Port Kaituma, carrying 179 persons, including 18 crew members and cargo. According to officials, the vessel encountered rough sea conditions off the Essequibo Coast near the mouth of the Pomeroon River late that night.
Survivors have recounted that the ferry began tilting to one side before capsizing, throwing passengers into the water in less than a minute. A distress signal transmitted at approximately 23:01 was received by aviation authorities, triggering a large-scale multi-agency emergency response that continues. Addressing concerns raised in the aftermath of the disaster, blood samples were taken from the captain and crew members for testing.
Authorities released the results, showing positive tests for cannabis, and subsequently arrested the captain and two crew members. Another official from the Transport and Harbours Department (T&HD), which manages ferry services, was also detained as part of the police investigation. Subsequently, the Government, in its initial probe into the issue, uncovered that more people were aboard the vessel than had been recorded on the original passenger manifest. That information, along with the manifest, was immediately made public and resulted in several managers at the T&HD being sent off on suspension.
Meanwhile, the Guyanese Government is preparing to launch an international and independent commission of inquiry into the MV Barima tragedy.