…as questions mount over wharf upgrades, $1B salvage contract
…witness turnout remains low
…witness turnout remains low
(Kaieteur News) – The Commission of Inquiry (CoI) into the deadly sinking of the MV Barima heads to Region One next week to meet affected families as questions mount over the vessel’s condition, sudden upgrades at its Georgetown departure point, and the Government’s award of a $1.034 billion contract to salvage the wreck.
The commission, chaired by Godfrey Smith, SC, will meet families at the Mabaruma Waterfront on Monday,12th October, at 10:00 hrs, and at the Port Kaituma Community Centre on Tuesday, 13th October, at the same time.
The regional engagements come amid growing frustration among relatives of the dead and missing, who have questioned the pace of the investigation and insisted that the sunken ferry must be recovered to help establish what caused the disaster.
The ferry sank on the night of 18th July, 2026, while travelling from Georgetown to Port Kaituma, resulting in more than 100 deaths, injuries and missing persons, according to figures cited during the ongoing public debate. The tragedy has triggered weekly protests outside the Office of the President, with families demanding the recovery of the vessel and accountability for any failures that contributed to the disaster.
Commissioners of the COI, Chairman of the Commission of Inquiry, Justice Godfrey Smith (centre) along with members of the Commissioners Dr. Andrzej Jasionowski (far left), Nyree Alfonso (left), Rear Admiral (Ret’d) Hayden Pritchard (right), and Captain Hamada Fouda (far right) during their opening ceremony last Wednesday
At the preliminary hearing last week, Smith pledged a thorough and independent investigation into the circumstances surrounding the sinking, including the vessel’s seaworthiness, loading procedures, crew decisions, rescue operations and regulatory oversight.
“Put in plain language, our task is to find out what happened to the BARIMA and why it happened,” Smith said, adding that the commission would examine whether warning signs were ignored, safety procedures followed and regulations adequately enforced.
The commission is expected to take approximately six months to complete its work, although President Irfaan Ali initially mandated a two-month timeframe.
Commission Secretary Javed Shadick explained that the volume of evidence, the need to interview more than 100 potential contacts, cross-examinations and regional visits make the original deadline unrealistic.
He also disclosed that only one person had formally approached the secretariat to indicate an intention to testify as the inquiry began its preliminary work.
That limited response comes as grieving relatives continue to question whether the investigation can adequately establish what happened without examining the wreck. Families have argued that the ferry’s hull must be recovered to facilitate a proper assessment of its condition and structural integrity.
Fresh upgrades at Kingston Wharf raise questions
The commission has already begun inspecting key maritime facilities, including the Transport and Harbours Department’s Kingston Wharf, where the M/V Barima began its final voyage.
During Thursday’s inspection, commissioners examined the cargo bond, passenger waiting area, weighing facilities and vessels docked at the wharf, including the M/V Ma Lisha and the M/V Kimbia.
However, the visit was accompanied by questions from workers about the timing of recently installed equipment and infrastructural improvements.
Employees told reporters that wall fans, paved surfaces, signage, cargo-handling equipment and other fixtures had been installed or upgraded in the weeks following the disaster.
One worker said the changes had transformed a facility where staff had endured poor conditions for years.
“All this you are seeing now is a ‘new’ THD… Soon as the vessel sank, we got a road and everything,” the worker remarked.
Another source said several items inside the cargo bond had been installed only days earlier, adding that cargo measurements were previously conducted without the weighing scale that is now in place.
The accounts raise questions about the state of the wharf before the disaster and whether its present condition accurately reflects the facilities and procedures in place when the ferry departed on 18th July.
Transport and Harbours Manager Yerlander Hughes, who accompanied the commissioners during the walkthrough, declined to comment when reporters questioned the sudden appearance of new fixtures and equipment.
The commission has not publicly indicated whether the upgrades will affect its assessment of the wharf’s historical safety standards.
Asked about the observations made during the inspection, Smith said: “We are working and gathering evidence.”
The commissioners also visited the Maritime Administration Department, the Transport and Harbours Department’s executive offices and dry-dock facilities as part of their preliminary investigations.
BK salvage contract
Another major development is the award of a $1.034 billion contract to BK International Inc. to salvage the sunken ferry.
Records published on the National Procurement and Tender Administration Board’s website on 7th October, 2026, show that the company was awarded Contract ID 211/2026/34 for the recovery of the M/V Barima off Devonshire Castle Flats, Essequibo Coast, under National Competitive Bidding.
The award has raised questions about the company’s experience in complex marine salvage operations and the transparency surrounding the selection process.
The contract was not accompanied by a public announcement from the Government or the Maritime Administration Department. Media houses discovered the award through NPTAB’s published records.
BK International’s selection has attracted scrutiny because one of its own barges, the Darren B, sank in the Demerara River in November 2014 and was subsequently removed by Dutch contractor Koole Contractors under a Government-funded arrangement.
The company was selected over Netherlands-based KMS B.V., associated with Koole Contractors, which reportedly submitted a US$2.035 million bid, and Industrial Fabrication Inc., which submitted a G$1.895 billion bid.
The salvage contract is being executed on a “No Cure, No Pay” basis, under which payment is tied to the successful recovery.
The decision became public during questioning by Jasmin Cort, the daughter and niece of still-missing brothers Neil and Kenrick Cort, who pressed the commission’s maritime consultant, Dr. Andrzej Jasionowski, to identify the contractor selected to recover the wreck.
“It is one of the three, BK,” Jasionowski disclosed.
He stressed that the operation must be conducted carefully to preserve evidence that could help determine why the 87-year-old ferry capsized.
“If you rush it, it’s very easy to break it, and once that happens, the recovery becomes a recovery of cut and scrub metal and whatever remains within,” he explained.
Jasionowski said he had met the salvage masters and engineers to discuss the recovery plan and that the commission expected regular updates on the operation.
The tender specifications require a non-destructive recovery, with the vessel to be raised intact and placed upright on a barge to allow investigators to examine the hull and internal structures.
Families have strongly opposed earlier suggestions that the wreck could remain submerged as a memorial, arguing that recovery is essential both to retrieving missing loved ones and preserving forensic evidence.
Neil Cort, 57, operated the ferry’s canteen for 37 years, while his brother Kenrick, 53, was aboard assisting him. Both remain unaccounted for.
MP calls for survivors’ expenses to be covered
As the commission prepares to formally begin taking witness evidence, Opposition Member of Parliament Ganesh Mahipaul has called on the panel to guarantee that survivors will not have to pay their own expenses to testify.
Mahipaul said survivors who have already endured a traumatic experience should not be forced to choose between participating in the inquiry and meeting the costs of transportation, accommodation and meals.
He called for reasonable travel expenses, accommodation and meals to be covered for survivors travelling from outside Georgetown, with transportation and meal assistance provided to those attending from within the capital where necessary.
“I therefore call on the Commission to make it clear, publicly and without ambiguity, that no survivor should be financially burdened because they have chosen to come forward and testify,” Mahipaul said.
He noted that although consultations and support sessions had been announced for affected families across several regions, he had not seen sufficient public information specifically addressing the expenses associated with giving testimony.
“Their voices must not be lost because someone cannot afford a plane ticket, transportation, a hotel room or meals while fulfilling their civic responsibility to testify,” he said.
Mahipaul urged the commission to communicate directly with survivors about the assistance available, arguing that financial difficulties should not prevent witnesses from contributing evidence.
“The survivors have already paid a price. They should not have to pay to be heard,” he declared.
The commission has said it will invite evidence from survivors, first responders, maritime officials, technical experts and other relevant witnesses. Crew members and the captain, including those facing legal proceedings, may also testify, with constitutional protections against self-incrimination applying.
The secretariat has indicated that translation services and counselling support are being arranged for participants who need them.
Ali awaits CoI findings before deciding on ministers
President Ali has meanwhile said that decisions on calls for the removal or suspension of Public Works Minister Juan Edghill and Public Utilities and Aviation Minister Deodat Indar will depend on the commission’s findings and recommendations.
The President made the position clear amid mounting public calls for political accountability over alleged maintenance failures and wider weaknesses in the oversight of the state-owned ferry.
Ali said he would not engage in speculation or take action that could prejudice the independent inquiry, while maintaining that immediate measures to address maritime safety would continue.
“The CoI, having been established, will conduct its work, make its determination, its recommendation, and then we’ll take it from there,” he said.
He added that an independent team had been established to inspect vessels, identify safety gaps and ensure that urgent deficiencies were addressed.
The position has done little to ease the frustration of relatives and demonstrators, who continue to demand accountability and a faster recovery of the wreck.
During a recent protest outside the Office of the President, family spokesperson Collin Solomon condemned what he described as the Government’s slow response.
“We demand justice. We demand accountability,” Solomon said, arguing that the urgency of the situation had not been adequately reflected in the pace of the recovery effort.
The demonstrations have drawn support from civil society groups, including representatives of the Amerindian People’s Association, with protesters carrying placards demanding that the vessel be raised and those responsible for any failures be held accountable.
Commission promises thorough investigation
Smith has maintained that the commission will not rush to conclusions and will examine the evidence before making recommendations.
Although the inquiry is not a criminal trial and cannot determine criminal guilt or civil liability, the chairman said evidence of possible wrongdoing could be referred to the relevant authorities.
The commission has also established procedures allowing individuals, organisations and affected families to apply for interested-party status, while ensuring that anyone facing adverse criticism has an opportunity to respond.
Smith said the panel could submit interim safety recommendations to the President before completing its final report if urgent risks emerge.
“We do not intend to take short cuts, jump to conclusions or deliver a rushed report,” he said. “Our allegiance is to the law, to our terms of reference, to procedural fairness and, above all, to the truth as established by credible, tested evidence.”
Source: Kaieteur News
