THE Commission of Inquiry (CoI) into the July 2026 MV Barima tragedy has requested extensive records on vessels operated by the Maritime Administration Department (MARAD) and the Transport and Harbours Department (T&HD), as investigators broaden their examination beyond the ill-fated vessel.
Commissioner Dr. Andrzej Jasionowski disclosed on Wednesday that the CoI is reviewing preliminary documents received from several institutions, with some of the requested records beginning to arrive.
He said the documents cover entire fleets of vessels operating in Guyana, rather than being limited to the 87-year-old MV Barima, which was involved in the July tragedy that claimed dozens of lives.
“Among those documents are the documents we have requested at the start of our commission,” Jasionowski said, explaining that request letters had been sent to T&HD, MARAD and other institutions.
He noted that the Commission had already received some of the material and had begun examining it as part of its preliminary work.
Jasionowski added that a further comprehensive request was sent last week for documents relating to the wider fleet of vessels operating in Guyana.
The expanded requests are expected to assist the Commission in examining the operational background of the country’s vessels, including matters extending beyond the circumstances surrounding the MV Barima disaster.
He said, “So, we will be looking at not just Barima, but the whole background of operation of the entire fleet.”
The Commission’s examination of records from the two agencies and other institutions forms part of its efforts to establish the circumstances surrounding the tragedy and assess the broader operational context in which the vessel was operating.
The document review will allow the commissioners to consider information concerning the wider fleet as their inquiry progresses, alongside evidence specifically related to the MV Barima
The Commission has since begun gathering evidence and examining information relevant to the incident. It is scheduled to formally commence taking evidence on Wednesday, October 14, 2026, at the Arthur Chung Conference Centre (ACCC).
Jasionowski is a Polish naval architect and marine engineer with more than three decades of experience in maritime accident investigations. He holds a PhD in Ship and Marine Technology from the University of Strathclyde in Scotland and a Master of Engineering degree in Naval Architecture and Ocean Engineering from the Technical University of Gdańsk in Poland.
His expertise includes vessel stability, ship design, and the investigation of maritime casualties.
The MV Barima tragedy involved the passenger and cargo vessel, which departed the T&HD Kingston Goods Wharf in Georgetown at about 15:15hrs on July 18, 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.
