DELBERT Williams, captain of the fishing trawler that caught fire last Saturday some 100 miles off the Guyana coast, is missing since the mishap and is now feared dead as he has not been found after an intensive search.

A source from Pritipaul Singh Investments, the owners of the trawler, who preferred anonymity, told this newspaper that Williams went to the engine room with another crew member to check on the engine and the fire started while they were there.
The source said the two men were severely burnt.
Soon the entire trawler was in flames and the Captain was placed into a ‘bimm’ that was let down into the water.
According to the source, the Captain instructed that the lifeboat be taken down and three crew members used it. A fifth man  jumped off of the vessel and stayed afloat until he was rescued.
A Venezuelan vessel picked up the three in the lifeboat and the man floating in the water.
But the captain could not be found.
Consequently, the source said the rest of the trawlers belonging to the Company have been carrying out searches day and night.
Company officials and those from the Fisheries Division of the Ministry of Agriculture also executed an aerial search.
The official said the Venezuelan vessel circled the boat three times after rescuing the four men.
According to the source, the cause of the fire is unknown and it is only the Captain who may have clues regarding its origin.
The source described the men as very good workers and praised the Captain for being a dedicated employee ‘who gave his all while on the job.’
Company officials are continuing to visit the men at the Georgetown Public Hospital, and are furnishing their families with whatever they need.
What caused the vessel to catch fire is the subject of an investigation, according to Minister of Agriculture, Robert Persaud.
The Minister said that though reports were sketchy, his understanding is that a fuel line might have been responsible for the fire on the vessel.
He had sought the assistance of the Coast Guard and the Maritime Administration Department (MARAD) in mounting a search and rescue exercise for crew members of the vessel and also to engage the owners in the search.
Persaud said that after the rescue was executed, an aerial reconnaissance was done but there was no sight of the vessel.
According to him, the explosion reportedly occurred while the vessel was more than 100 miles out in the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ).
The Minister said that he has ordered a full investigation into the incident, and has pledged the Ministry’s commitment to assisting with the care of the rescued crewmembers.
After making the six-hour trip in to Port Georgetown, the rescue craft bringing the crew members docked at Pritipaul Singh Investments wharf at McDoom, East Bank Demerara, at 21:00hrs Saturday, where medical personnel were on standby.