THE process to select a contractor to salvage the sunken MV Barima will continue beyond Friday’s deadline for Expressions of Interest (EOI), with Prime Minister Brigadier (Ret’d) Mark Phillips saying the submissions must first be evaluated before a contractor is selected and negotiations begin.
The Maritime Administration Department (MARAD) had invited qualified marine salvage contractors to submit EOIs for the recovery of the passenger and cargo ferry, which sank off the Essequibo Coast on July 18.
Friday, August 14, was set as the deadline for submissions.
Asked on Friday about the deadline and what would follow, Phillips explained that the end of the submission period does not mean a contractor would be immediately selected.
“Then you have to go through the bids, do the evaluation, and then determine who will get the contract,” the Prime Minister said.
He added that the selected contractor would then have to negotiate the contract with the government.
“So, it’s a process that has started, and the process is ongoing to this finality,” Prime Minister Phillips said.
The salvage process follows the conclusion of the search and rescue operation, which was carried out under challenging conditions, including strong currents and poor visibility, and now focuses on recovering the wrecked vessel.
The government has deployed maritime vessels, aircraft, specialist divers and emergency response personnel as part of the search and recovery operation.
According to MARAD’s notice, the ferry is submerged in approximately 15 metres of water, about 28 nautical miles north of Guyana’s coast.
The vessel is approximately 38.6 metres long, with an 8.9-metre beam, and is lying on its side in soft mud.
The authority is seeking a contractor with proven experience in marine salvage, particularly in Guyana or the wider Caribbean and under challenging conditions involving strong currents and limited visibility.
Companies were required to provide information on their previous salvage work, technical approach, equipment, personnel, environmental protection measures, safety arrangements, insurance and proposed timeline.
The successful contractor must also explain how evidence will be preserved and documented during the salvage operation, given that the recovery is expected to form part of the evidence available to the international Commission of Inquiry (CoI) into the disaster.
President Dr. Irfaan Ali has also appointed a five-member international CoI to examine the circumstances surrounding the sinking, including the vessel’s seaworthiness, loading procedures, passenger manifest, emergency response, and any negligence or institutional failures that might have contributed to the tragedy.
The contractor must also be capable of recovering the vessel and keeping it upright on a barge for several weeks.
The MV Barima sank in the Atlantic Ocean while en route from Georgetown to Port Kaituma in Region One (Barima-Waini), with an estimated 179 people aboard. The tragedy claimed the lives of 73 people, while 76 persons were rescued. Thirty people remain missing, making it the deadliest maritime disaster in Guyana’s history.
Authorities later determined that the actual number of persons on board, including crew members, was significantly higher than the 133 passengers listed on the vessel’s manifest.
Meanwhile, the criminal investigation into the disaster is proceeding alongside the CoI.
Captain Kevin Price, Chief Mate Rondell Dwayne Roberts and Cargo Superintendent Delon Granderson have each been charged with murder in connection with the sinking of the MV Barima. The three were remanded to prison after their initial arraignment before a magistrate.
Following the disaster, Prime Minister Phillips disclosed that two crew members, including the captain, tested positive for marijuana. The government has maintained that the CoI will not interfere with the ongoing criminal proceedings.
