Five member MV Barima Commission of Inquiry to establish full circumstances surrounding deadly ferry tragedy

President Irfaan Ali on Sunday named a five-member Commission of Inquiry into the MV Barima ferry tragedy. The MV Barima Commission of Inquiry is to be led by former Attorney General of Belize, Godfrey Phillip Smith. In 2022, Mr. Smith served as a member of the Commission of Inquiry into the 2020 Elections in Guyana. The other members of the Commission are Senior Maritime Surveyor, Captain Hamada Fouda of Jamaica, Retired Chief of Defence Staff of the Trinidad and Tobago Defence Force, Rear Admiral (Rt'd)Hayden Pritchard, Maritime Law specialist and Attorney, Nyree Dawn Alfonso of Trinidad and Tobabo, and Dr. Andrzej Jasionowski of Poland. Dr. Jasionowski practices forensic naval architecture and marine engineering. In naming the members of the Commission of Inquiry, the President said the terms of reference of the Commission will be establishing the full circumstances surrounding the tragedy, including the causes and all other factors relating to the loading of the vessel, the boarding of passengers, conditions onboard, the capsizing and sinking of the MV Barima and any other related matters. He also explained that the Commission will examine and review the search and rescue operations, applicable laws, regulations standards and operating procedures of the ferry service, and determine whether acts of negligence, misconduct, dereliction of duty or any other failures by any individual entity or institution contributed to or caused the disaster. The seaworthiness of vessel, its maintenance history and competence of the crew will also examine by the Commission of Inquiry. Saturday marked one week since the MV Barima sank off the Essequibo Coast, eight hours into its 24-hour journey from Georgetown to Port Kaituma. More than 70 persons have since been confirmed dead with dozens more still missing. The total number of persons rescued stands at 76.