The vessel which will soon transport prisoners to the Mazaruni high-security prison was named in honour of fallen rank Troy Williams, who died in the infamous Republic Day Camp Street Prison jailbreak in 2002.
The $118 million boat called the ML Troy W will sail in a ceremonial trip on the Demerara River this Saturday.
Dead: Troy Williams
The Guyana Prison Service (GPS) said that the boat has accommodation for 80 passengers above the main deck as well as a 60-tonne cargo space below the main deck forward of the engine room. It contains three watertight bulkheads which divide the hull into four compartments. It was noted that the vessel would be fitted with two Perkins diesel engines of approximately 500 horsepower.
Public Security Minister Khemraj Ramjattan, in the presence of Williams’ family, will formally hand over the vessel to the Prison Service at Saturday’s commissioning ceremony.
Williams met his demise on February 23, 2002 when five inmates broke out of the penitentiary and stabbed the 21-year-old to death. Fellow prison officer Roxanne Winfield, who was shot to the head, was left paralysed and lost vision in her right eye.
The passenger/cargo vessel contract for the Guyana Prison Service was awarded to the Guyana National Industrial Company (GNIC) Incorporated, and the project commenced in May 2017. The Prison Service noted that the twin screw passenger/cargo vessel has been designed for harbour and riverine service in Guyana.
