–to strengthen standards nationwide
IN a decisive step to fortify the safety of Guyana’s waterways, President, Dr Mohamed Irfaan Ali, has announced the formation of a Safety and Compliance Audit Team tasked with conducting a comprehensive review of the safety and compliance standards governing marine vessels operating across the country in the aftermath of the MV Barima tragedy.
The initiative forms part of the government’s continuing programme of action to strengthen maritime safety and prevent future tragedies, and reflects the administration’s commitment to ensuring that every vessel plying Guyana’s rivers and coastline meets the highest practicable standards of safety and accountability, the President said.
President Ali has assembled a team whose collective experience spans decades of hands-on maritime administration, defence and vessel inspection.
The Audit Team comprises: Dr Ivor English, former Director-General of the Maritime Administration Department (MARAD); Colonel Julius Skeete of the Guyana Defence Force and Captain Joseph Lewis, Marine Officer and Surveyor of Ships.
Together, the three men bring what the President’s statement describes as a wealth of technical expertise, practical experience and knowledge in marine administration, maritime operations, and the inspection and surveying of ships.
The team has been charged with examining compliance with applicable maritime safety requirements and making recommendations to strengthen oversight, improve enforcement, and ensure that vessels, operators and regulatory systems across Guyana meet the highest standards of safety and accountability.
This step builds on a broader wave of initiatives the Ali administration has rolled out after the tragic MV Barima incident.
The President recently appointed an independent, five-member international Commission of Inquiry, chaired by Justice Godfrey Phillip Smith of Belize, to determine the causes of the MV Barima disaster and recommend systemic reforms.
That panel, which includes maritime, engineering and legal experts from Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago and Poland, has been tasked with scrutinising everything from vessel loading and passenger boarding procedures to search-and-rescue coordination.
The government also launched the HEART Initiative, a national body coordinating long-term support for survivors and affected families.
