THE boat that was spotted on Monday with several decomposed bodies on board has still not been found, the Maritime Administration Department (MARAD) has reported. Vessels from the private sector were mobilised to assist local authorities to locate and tow the abandoned boat into port. One vessel that was operating offshore was directed to the area of the boat’s estimated position on Monday night. However, MARAD noted that the vessel spent several hours on Tuesday searching the probable area of the boat’s track but the search proved futile. “This vessel has since returned to Port Georgetown, but its owner has several other vessels operating in the general area, and they have been advised to look out for the abandoned boat. Two fast boats with two 200 HP engines each left Morawhanna Tuesday morning with a team that included members of the Guyana Police Force and the Guyana Defence Force (GDF). They executed search patterns offshore and inshore, that encompassed the area from the western boundary of Guyana’s maritime border all the way to Anna Regina, Essequibo Coast,” MARAD explained. The GDF has so far executed three reconnaissance flights over the initial probable area and the expanded search area. They also did not report any sighting of the boat. According to MARAD, another search vessel that has on board an officer and ranks from the GDF Coast Guard is still at sea searching for the abandoned boat.

MARAD has published a navigational warning via the U.S. National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA), informing all vessels in the general area to be on the lookout for a boat adrift and to report any sighting. The Maritime Administration Department has also sent emails to several equivalent organisations seeking their assistance in identifying the boat and the remains of those on board. It has also informed the administration in Trinidad and Tobago to notify vessels about the boat, since the direction of the ocean current can possibly take it to this country. On Tuesday night, Public Works Minister Bishop Juan Edghill noted that based on the direction from which the boat was coming, it could be a vessel out of Africa. “The boat doesn’t have an engine attached to it. It has a tow line from the front based on the pictures. Was the boat towed out and cut loose? Was it cut from something? We are not sure, that is why the Minister of Home Affairs has remained engaged to ensure that the investigative capacity of the Police Force, along with the resources become available instantly on capturing that boat and bringing it here so we can get answers,” he noted. Home Affairs Minister Robeson Benn had noted that if or when authorities retrieve the vessel, the Guyana Police Force will take charge of the investigation to determine the origin of the victims and the circumstances surrounding the situation.