MV Barima Tragedy: President says teams to accelerate recovery at sunken vessel

President Dr. Irfaan Ali has said a specific mechanism has been put in place to accelerate recovery efforts at the MV Barima wreck. During an interview with the News Room on Tuesday, the President explained that the vessel’s location on the seabed makes it difficult for divers to enter in its current position. Authorities are therefore working to reposition it to a safer location where divers can access the wreck more effectively. The team aims to move the vessel into shallower waters to facilitate the recovery operation before it is eventually lifted. Guyana is receiving assistance from French divers, along with support from Brazil and Trinidad and Tobago, in this effort. “The focus continues to be rescue and recovery,” President Ali added. While the divers work on getting into the vessel, the President said troops are walking the shoreline to find any survivors. The MV Barima, a passenger and cargo vessel, left Port Georgetown on Saturday afternoon and was heading to Port Kaituma in Region One. Late Saturday night, tragedy struck. This tragedy has gripped the nation, but striking revelations have raised many questions. Public Works Minister Juan Edghill on Sunday night said officials initially believed they were searching for 116 passengers and 17 crew members, based on the official manifest. But investigations revealed that only 35 of the 67 initially rescued were listed on the passenger manifest, meaning 32 survivors were never officially recorded as passengers before the vessel left Georgetown. Once this information came to light, the list of passengers was released to the public. The vessel’s cargo manifest showed it was carrying 268 tonnes of cargo, below its licensed capacity of 284 tonnes. But now that is also under question too. Additionally, the vessel’s captain and first engineer have been arrested after both tested positive for narcotics. This information was released to the public soon after authorities found out. The government has said that an investigation will be launched to determine what really caused the ferry to capsize. President Dr Irfaan Ali has promised a full and thorough investigation into the entire tragedy.