PRESIDENT, Dr Irfaan Ali has emphasised that the lessons of the MV Barima tragedy must inform a stronger culture of safety, infrastructure, leadership and responsibility, as Guyana continues to grapple with the pain left by the loss of dozens of lives.
Speaking during a recently released interview, President Ali said the tragedy remains a source of sleepless nights and something he wishes had never occurred. He stressed that his responsibility as Head of State required him to remain present and lead through the difficult period.
He said the tragedy must lead to lasting improvements in safety, infrastructure, leadership and responsibility. The country, he added, has a duty to learn from what had happened and build a stronger and more effective system.
“Our task, therefore, is to navigate the future from the harsh lessons of that tragedy and every other tragedy, and to build in the memories of those who we lost, assist them in a new culture of safety, Infrastructure, leadership, and responsibility that would utilise the laws as a new beginning for a stronger, deeper, more efficient system, and that is what we’re doing,” he said.
Reflecting on the response to the tragedy, he said he witnessed doctors and other personnel giving their best during what he described as a horrific and tragic period, while also seeing the strength and support of Guyanese.
He acknowledged that navigating the national response while responsibilities of governing the country was not easy, but said he was able to rely on his Cabinet and wider team, some of whom were directly involved in supporting affected families.
“I’m the president. I’m the leader. And a leader must not only be a leader in the good times. You have to be a leader in every circumstance, in every season you have to be there.”
President Ali said the country itself had been changed by the tragedy and that Guyana could not simply return to the way things were before it occurred.
He said the pain experienced by the families who lost loved ones remains with him, including the grief endured by children, siblings, grandparents and parents.
President Ali also stressed that support for the affected families must extend beyond the immediate aftermath of the tragedy. He said continued emotional, spiritual, physical, community and material assistance remains important, along with maintaining a connection with the families and reminding them that they remain part of the wider Guyanese family.
He said the responsibility to those families is not temporary, but one that he views as extending throughout his lifetime.
The president also acknowledged the political tensions that accompanied the tragedy, saying it was difficult to deal with attempts to use an emotionally charged and painful period to score political points.
He said while the national focus was on dealing with the tragedy and supporting those affected, some political responses were driven by a different agenda.
The MV Barima, an 87-year-old passenger and cargo vessel, was travelling from Georgetown to Port Kaituma in Region One (Barima-Waini) when tragedy struck. The vessel departed the Kingston Goods Wharf in Georgetown at approximately 15:15hrs on July 18.
Later that night, the vessel encountered difficulties while travelling off the Essequibo Coast, near the mouth of the Pomeroon River, before eventually capsizing. Approximately 179 passengers and crew were believed to have been aboard.
The disaster resulted in 73 deaths, while 76 people survived. Authorities have said approximately 30 people remain unaccounted for.
According to the Maritime Administration Department (MARAD), the vessel is presently lying as a wreck in approximate positions: Latitude 07° 28′.213 North, Longitude 058° 23′.443 West, in water depths of about 13-15 metres (42-49 feet).
Three companies—two Guyanese-owned and one based in the Netherlands—have submitted bids to undertake salvaging of the MV Barima.
The three bidders are Industrial Fabrication Inc. (InFab), BK International Inc., and KMS BV of the Netherlands. The National Procurement and Tender Administration Board (NPTAB) opened the bids earlier this month, with BK International Inc submitting the lowest bid.
InFab, which was founded in 2003 by Jerry Max Goueia and Dyland Fields, submitted a bid of $1.895 billion to salvage the vessel.
BK International, founded by Brian Tiwarie and involved in areas including sea defence, construction, marine transportation and aviation, submitted a bid of $1.034 billion.
Meanwhile, Netherlands-based KMS BV, a registered commercial ship owner and manager headquartered in Vijfhuizen, submitted the highest bid at $2.0351 billion.
Three Transport and Harbours Department employees have been charged with murder in connection with the MV Barima tragedy.
They are Captain Kevin Price, Chief Mate Rondell Dwayne Roberts, and Goods Superintendent Delon Granderson. The three were charged with several counts of murder and remain on remand, with paper-committal proceedings set to begin on November 16.
