…families still awaiting remains, answers months after deadly sinking
(Kaieteur News) – APNU Member of Parliament Ganesh Mahipaul has questioned the Government’s handling of the salvage operation for the sunken MV Barima, accusing the administration of moving too slowly while grieving families continue to await the recovery of their loved ones’ remains and answers surrounding the tragedy.
The MV Barima sank on 18thJuly, 2026 killing more than 100 people and leaving families across the country mourning.
Member of Parliament, Ganesh Mahipaul
In a statement issued yesterday, Mahipaul said there was a growing disconnect between the Government’s public assurances that the salvage effort was being treated as a priority and the pace of the procurement process.
“The Government cannot continue to tell the families of the victims of the MV Barima tragedy that this matter is being treated with urgency when the timeline tells a very different story,” Mahipaul said.
He pointed to several key dates in the process. Prime Minister Mark Phillips said on 28th July that the Government would be guided by the wishes of affected families. Expressions of Interest for the salvage operation closed on 14th August, while President Irfaan Ali announced on 18th August that shortlisted firms would be invited to submit financial bids.
However, it was not until 8th September that the bids were publicly opened, revealing three proposals ranging from approximately G$1.034 billion to G$2.035 billion.
Mahipaul said that by the end of September, no contractor had been publicly announced and there was still no clear mobilisation date.
“And now September has ended without a publicly announced contractor and without a clear mobilisation date,” he said. “That is the problem. This is not simply another government procurement exercise. People died. Families are still waiting. Some families have not been able to lay their loved ones to rest.”
According to Mahipaul, recovering the vessel is important not only to provide grieving families with closure, but also to assist with the legal and investigative process surrounding the tragedy.
He noted that the sunken vessel remains a critical piece of physical evidence for the Commission of Inquiry (CoI), an objective that he said is also reflected in the Government’s own terms of reference for the salvage operation.
Mahipaul also referenced recent remarks by President Ali on the need for a national culture centred on safety, leadership and responsibility, arguing that those principles must be reflected in the Government’s handling of the salvage effort.
“Leadership and responsibility must also mean acting with urgency when families are waiting for answers,” he said. “I am not calling for procurement rules to be bypassed. I am calling for urgency within the rules.”
Mahipaul ended with a series of questions for the administration: “Where is the urgency? Where is the contractor? Where is the mobilisation date? And most importantly, when will these grieving families finally get the answers and closure they deserve?”
He warned that the tragedy must not become “another file sitting on a desk in a Ministry.”
Source: Kaieteur News
