GEORGETOWN, Guyana — The government of Guyana has assembled a team of international experts to look into the deadly sinking of a state-operated ferry, which claimed the lives of dozens of people in what is now considered the nation’s worst maritime catastrophe ever recorded.
The vessel, known as the MV Barima, was 87 years old when it capsized in the Atlantic Ocean on June 18. The ferry had left the capital city of Georgetown and was headed toward Port Kaituma, an Indigenous community located near the Venezuelan border, when the disaster occurred.
Officials believe approximately 179 people were on board at the time. Dive teams have so far recovered 73 bodies, while another 76 individuals were pulled to safety. Efforts to raise the sunken vessel for inspection are still ongoing.
In a public address on Sunday, President Irfaan Ali announced that the newly appointed investigative commission has been granted broad authority and is expected to function independently from the government.
Heading the five-person panel is Phillip Godfrey Smith, a former attorney general from Belize, who will serve as chairman. The remaining members include a lawyer, a naval architect, and maritime specialists from Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago. Among the key questions the team will examine is whether professional negligence played a role in the tragedy.
Three individuals have already been taken into custody by local authorities, among them the ferry’s captain, who was rescued and later accused of testing positive for marijuana. A second crew member was also arrested.
President Ali outlined the scope of the investigation, saying the panel will be asked to examine the “passenger management including embarkation, manifest preparation, the possible overcrowding of the vessel, the storage of cargo, the availability and use of life saving equipment and adherence to passenger safety requirements.”
Survivors who spent hours clinging to wreckage after the sinking have said the MV Barima was packed beyond capacity with both passengers and cargo, including vehicles and large pallets. Several also reported that the ferry appeared to be taking on water before it capsized, but that crew members had dismissed the concern as “normal.”
Ali said he wants the commission to determine if there were “any acts of negligence, misconduct, dereliction of duty and other failures by any individual, entity or institution contributed to or caused the disaster, including neglect of its condition, maintenance history, sea tides, functioning navigation and communication equipment and other operational factors.”
The president also expressed hope that the panel’s findings would lead to meaningful reforms, saying authorities expect recommendations that will “improve emergency preparedness and response and reduce the likelihood of similar tragedies occurring in the future.”
