Dear Editor

I RECENTLY read in the local newspapers the Maritime Administration Department’s (MARAD’s) notice to mariners, informing them of a wreck lying in the vicinity of the mouth of the Demerara River. The notice indicates the position of the wreck in latitude and longitude, bearing and distance from the Georgetown Lighthouse, and advises that it lies along the eastern edge of the Demerara main ship channel in a charted depth of 5.3 metres of water.The presence of this wreck is also mentioned in Guyana 2016 Tide Tables.

The wreck, a barge named BAR.B, sank approximately two years ago with a load of stone. I vividly remember reading in the daily newspapers at that time that the reason given for the sinking of the barge was rough seas, and I had said aloud to myself: “What stupidity is this?”

Every professional seafarer knows that is utter nonsense, as it is well known that vessels are designed and constructed to withstand rough seas; and once maintained as required, vessels will continue to do so.

In the case of the DAR.B, there were supposed to be transverse and longitudinal water tight bulkheads (walls) under the tonnage deck (the uppermost continuous deck), which were most likely there to subdivide the barge into watertight compartments, but the question is: what condition were they in? If they were in good condition, water entering by whatever means would have remained in one compartment, and this would have allowed the vessel to retain sufficient reserve buoyancy to remain afloat.

The second question is: how did water get into the vessel? Was it through holes in the deck, bottom or sides, or through the manholes? In any case, if it was through the manholes, it meant that the manhole coamings, covers and screwing down arrangements were defective, and therefore not watertight; or the deck was porous; or both manhole and deck were defective.

I am aware that the Harbour Master has, on more than one occasion, corresponded with the owner of the barge to have the wreck removed, but has received no acknowledgement of his correspondence. One correspondence was copied to the then Minister of Public Works, the Director General, and the Safety Director of the Maritime Administration Department. Due to the period of time the wreck has been lying in that position, there is now a buildup of siltation in the area, which exacerbates an already serious danger to surface navigation. Local and foreign ship masters are now vehemently complaining about this situation, and want this wreck removed.

Farther up the Demerara River, in the harbour of Georgetown, is another wreck, “Miss Allisia”, which according to the Maritime Administration Notice to Mariners No 8 of 2014 lies just west of the ship channel in a depth of 4.9 metres Chart Datum. The position is given in latitude and longitude as well as bearing and distance from the Georgetown Lighthouse. This also constitutes a danger to surface navigation.

The owner of this vessel tried unsuccessfully to remove it. It is therefore recommended that a professional salvaging company be retained to undertake the removal of these wrecks, to clear the harbour of these encumbrances.

There are several other wrecks along the Coast of Guyana and in proximity to the entrances to rivers. Should this situation continue, Guyana’s ports could very well be deemed dangerous ports of call, thus causing this nation to lose much-needed revenue.

In order to correct this unwanted state of affairs, strict compliance with the International Maritime Organisation’s conventions to which Guyana is a signatory, as well as strict compliance to local regulations, is necessary. Most important is the need for ship owners to dry dock their vessels to keep them “ship shape and Bristol fashion”.

Very few Guyanese owned and registered vessels based in Guyana are dry docked as required. It must be understood that the practice of beaching vessels, as most of the local ship owners do, is not dry docking. The regulations are very clear on this matter. Vessels must be dry docked twice in five years, and the period between subsequent surveys must not exceed three years.
Vessels must also undergo annual surveys and special surveys every five years. Very few Guyanese vessels conform to these mandatory requirements.

Secondly, the qualifications and experience of seafarers must never be compromised, as has become the norm over the years. Again, the STCW Convention to which Guyana is a signatory (Standards of Training Certification and Watch Keeping for Seafarers) has been thrown out of the window. In fact, the situation has gotten so bad that illiterate (I mean illiterate, not functionally illiterate) persons are presenting themselves to be examined for various grades of licences. Even persons who are in receipt of licences are found to be “at sea” when asked simple questions related to the profession.

A lack of understanding of the basic principles of Ship Stability and the loading of cargo has, among other things, contributed to the sinking or capsizing of several vessels. A case in point is MV Allisia, which capsized and sank as soon as it departed Muneshwer’s Wharf to proceed to sea. Had the captain been conversant with the meta centric system of stability, that incident would have been avoided. The sea could not have been rough in the river to cause the vessel, which was embarking on an international voyage, to capsize and sink.

Recommendations were recently made to the Administration to correct this situation. Included in those recommendations was that persons whose licences have expired after the five-year period had elapsed should not have their licences automatically reissued, but should be re-examined, even if only partially, to ensure that they remain competent and are aware of ever changing rules and requirements.

The Guyana Government must understand that there is no short cut in this profession; anyone who wishes to pursue a career at sea must make up his/her mind to spend the stipulated time at sea, attend a recognised training establishment, serve on board ship is a specific berth for a specific period, and be successful at every grade of examination before being titled a professional mariner.

After competing all of the above, then that person becomes eligible to be trained as a pilot or marine surveyor, and take up senior related managerial positions.

It is also incumbent on the Maritime Administration Department and the Maritime Board of Examiners to, in a respectful but professional manner, resist any political pressure to do anything in contravention of the established and accepted maritime conventions, rules and regulations, which would seek to cause further disrespect to Guyanese seamen and deterioration to Guyana’s Maritime sector.
Regards,
CAPTAIN R.E.W. ADAMS