THE National Tender Board has confirmed that BK International has been awarded the contract to salvage the MV Barima.
During a meeting on Wednesday, family members were informed that BK International had already begun preparations to salvage the vessel.
Commissioner Andrzej Jasionowski said the salvage operation was proceeding, with the team preparing equipment and detailed plans. He said he had met the salvage team the previous day to discuss how the work could be carried out carefully.
Meanwhile, Ms Nyree Dawn Alfonso, addressing concerns about delays in the process, explained that rushing the operation could damage the wreck and compromise evidence. Salvage masters and engineers were already working on preparations, and the team had promised to provide daily progress reports.
Further, the Chairman of the Commission of Inquiry (CoI) into the MV Barima tragedy, Justice Godfrey P Smith, stressed that the Commission will operate independently as it begins its investigation into the deadly incident.
Justice Smith made it clear that although the Commission was appointed by President Irfaan Ali, it is not an arm of the government or any other institution or entity.
“Our allegiance is to the law, to our Terms of Reference, to procedural fairness and to the truth as established through credible and tested evidence,” the Chairman said.
Justice Smith said the inquiry will seek to establish what happened to the MV Barima on the night of 18 July 2026, why it happened, whether there were warning signs or failures, and whether applicable laws, regulations and safety procedures were properly followed and enforced.
He stressed that the Commission will follow the evidence wherever it leads.
The inquiry is also expected to examine the wider systems governing maritime safety, with recommendations to be made on measures aimed at strengthening oversight and reducing the risk of a similar tragedy occurring in the future.
Site visits
Today, the Commission will visit the Kingston Wharf, the Maritime Administration Department (MARAD) and the Transport and Harbours Department (T&HD).
The following day, the commissioners are expected to visit two dry-dock facilities on the East Bank of Demerara.
They will then travel to Mabaruma and Port Kaituma on 12 and 13 October, respectively, where they will visit the wharf facilities and meet survivors and families affected by the tragedy. Shadick emphasised that those engagements are intended to allow the commissioners to meet affected persons and familiarise themselves with the relevant locations, rather than collect evidence outside the formal hearings.
The formal evidence-gathering process will begin on 14 October and is expected to continue Monday to Friday, from 09:00hrs to 16:00hrs. Interpreters and counsellors are also expected to be available where necessary. Shadick said counsel for the CoI, attorneys Arudranauth Gossai and Teni Housty, have already been working behind the scenes to identify and interview potential witnesses and gather relevant documentation.
The Commission has also been reviewing documents and technical information related to the vessel’s seaworthiness, the circumstances under which it sailed and the crew’s operation of the vessel during the voyage. Preliminary work previously announced by the Commission included obtaining information from MARAD, the T&HD and the Coast Guard.
The Commission will examine the circumstances surrounding the capsizing and sinking of the MV Barima, including the events leading up to the disaster, the vessel’s seaworthiness, crew operations, safety procedures and the response following the incident.
It will also consider whether negligence, misconduct, dereliction of duty, systemic deficiencies or institutional failures contributed to the disaster.
The MV Barima tragedy involved the 87-year-old passenger and cargo vessel, which departed the Kingston Goods Wharf in Georgetown at about 15:15hrs on 18 July, bound for Port Kaituma.
The vessel later encountered difficulties while sailing off the Essequibo Coast, near the mouth of the Pomeroon River, before capsizing.
An estimated 179 passengers and crew were aboard at the time. The disaster claimed 73 lives, while 76 people survived and approximately 30 others remain unaccounted for, according to authorities.
The sinking triggered a large-scale search, rescue and recovery operation involving the Guyana Defence Force Coast Guard, Guyana Police Force, Maritime Administration Department (MARAD), Guyana Fire and Rescue Service and Civil Defence Commission, alongside local fishermen, private vessels and international partners.
Divers were deployed to conduct underwater searches around the wreck, while teams scoured extensive areas for survivors, missing persons and victims.
The tragedy subsequently resulted in criminal charges against three Transport and Harbours Department employees. Captain Kevin Price, Chief Mate Rondell Dwayne Roberts and Goods Superintendent Delon Granderson were each charged with murder in connection with the disaster and are before the Charity Magistrate’s Court.
The three accused are currently on remand.