Director General of MARAD adamant that MV Barima ferry was operating within weight limit

The Director General of the Maritime Administration Department (MARAD), Stephen Thomas, has stated that the MV Barima was operating within its certified weight limit at the time of its sinking and was not overloaded. However, he said he is not clear on how the weight was distributed on the ferry. According to Thomas, preliminary information reviewed by MARAD indicates that the vessel's passenger and cargo load complied with the applicable weight restrictions. However, he said the capacity can vary if you have cargo or no cargo. He noted that the vessel was operating way below its 394 passenger capacity and 126 tonnes of cargo. “So, if you have less passengers you can carry more weight, in terms of the distribution of the weight, the investigation will show that but I don’t know how the weight was distributed at the top or the bottom, I don’t have any record of that,” Thomas said. Thomas explained that from information received the vessel indicator did not show that it was overloaded. ‘ “The vessels have a load line, if the load line isn’t submerged, the vessel isn’t overloaded. As I mentioned, the load line according to the reviews and persons that we talk to, the load line was just submerged which is usual because when it go in the sea water it will be floating higher because of the denseness, so in that context, the vessel was not overloaded,” Thomas explained, The MV Barima sank last Saturday night while operating on its scheduled route. Authorities have launched an investigation to determine the circumstances surrounding the incident, and additional information is expected to be released as the inquiry progresses. A timeline for that inquiry is still to be set.