–Minister Indar

THE search for three fishermen who went missing over two weeks ago will continue as there are no plans for it to be called off at the moment.

This is according to Minister within the Ministry of Public Works, Deodat Indar, who told the Guyana Chronicle on Sunday that there are no discussions underway to halt the search. He indicated that the families of the men are all distraught and want answers and as such, the search will continue.

“We’re not even discussing that right now, what we are doing is making sure that we continue to search,” Minister Indar said.

The three men, Harold Anthony Damon, 45; Ronald Burton, 78 and Winston Sam 46 are missing and presumed dead after the vessel that they were in reportedly capsized on February 19, 2022, some 26 miles from the Mahaica River.

When contacted on Sunday, Captain John Flores, Director of the Maritime Administration Department (MARAD), told this newspaper that they encountered issues with the computer system on the main vessel which is leading the search. This led to a pause in search operations.

But giving more details on this issue was Minister Indar, who explained that the issue is really with the scanning system on the MARAD vessel.

“The sonar that we are using got wet and it caused us not to go out yesterday [Saturday], so we’re trying to get it repaired so we can resume [the search],” Minister Indar said.

The sonar system on vessels is a technique for detecting and determining the distance and direction of objects underwater through the use of soundwaves. Minister Indar stated that the vessel was offshore when that happened.

The fishermen were on board the Noble House Seafoods vessel when the incident occurred.

According to information provided by Vincent Dazzell – the only fisherman who survived the ordeal and was rescued by a passing vessel — the seabob trawler capsized and sank some 26 miles from the Mahaica River. He said his colleagues may be trapped underneath the overturned vessel.

Dazzell had told relatives of the missing men and the police that he and his colleagues had noticed that the vessel was taking in water in the engine room and elsewhere, but there was nothing they could do to stop the leaks at the time.

He said the captain had tried to make contact with ‘Noble House’ to relate what had happened, but the radio transmission became distorted. Dazzell said the captain was searching for his cellphone when the vessel capsized, causing everyone to leap overboard.

Dazzell further related that the captain and others began shouting and it was a nearby fishing vessel that heard their calls and rushed to help. However, he was the only one who was found.
In a statement released days after the incident, ‘Noble House’ said it was deeply saddened by the incident involving the four-man crew and motor vessel WorldFriends 307, and that it is concerned about the disappearance of the three crew members.

Meanwhile, Minister of Home Affairs Robeson Benn recently told the media that contrary to reports, ‘Noble House’ had not informed the relevant authorities that the vessel was in distress. He said that the first report was made 24 hours after the vessel had sunk.