(Kaieteur News) – The National Procurement and Tender Administration Board (NPTAB) has awarded GYD $1.034 billion contract to local infrastructure firm BK International Inc. to raise the wreck of the MV Barima.
The selection raises sharp questions about technical capability and government transparency, BK International, a company that previously had to rely on state-funded intervention to clear its own sunken barge from the Demerara River bed, has been entrusted with a delicate, high-stakes forensic salvage operation on a “No Cure, No Pay” basis.
The contract award was neither announced in a government press release nor disclosed by the Maritime Administration Department (MARAD). Instead, media houses visiting NPTAB’s website after the disclosure discovered the upload independently.
According to official NPTAB records dated October 7, 2026, BK International Inc. was awarded Contract ID 211/2026/34 for the “Salvaging of Wreck MV Barima (Off Devonshire Castle Flats Essequibo Coast)” at a total sum of G$1,034,000,000 under National Competitive Bidding (NCB). The secrecy surrounding the award mirrors the initial evaluation phase, where the government failed to publish the shortlist of bidders until reporters pressed NPTAB directly.
NPTAB listing uploaded on Wednesday
The choice of BK International has raised immediate concern within maritime and legal circles. In November 2014, BK International’s barge, the Darren B, sank in the main channel of the Demerara River. Rather than executing a swift recovery, the company left the sunken vessel abandoned as an active navigational hazard until the government contracted international salvors, Dutch firm Koole Contractors, to clear it out at taxpayer expense.
Now, BK International has been selected over specialised competitors, including Netherlands-based KMS B.V. (Koole Contractors), which submitted a USD $2.035 million (approx. GYD $2.035B) bid, and Industrial Fabrication Inc., which submitted a GYD $1.895 billion bid. MARAD’s original tender specifications required prospective salvors to demonstrate 5 to 10 years of proven marine salvage experience in regional waters under severe tidal and zero-visibility conditions.
Confirmation of BK’s selection came during a line of questioning by daughter and niece of still missing Neil and Kenrick Cort, Jasmin Cort to Commissioner Dr. Andrzej Jasionowski, Maritime Consultant of the Commission of Inquiry investigating the tragedy.
When Cort pressed the commissioner to state who will be executing the recovery, Dr. Jasionowski revealed “It is one of the three, BK.” This was the first time the public had been made aware of such a decision taken by NPTAB.
Addressing the delicate nature of the salvage, Dr. Jasionowski emphasised that the recovery must be executed with extreme care to avoid destroying critical forensic evidence needed to explain how the 87-year-old ferry capsized on July 18, 2026, taking over 100 lives. “We speak to them, I met with them personally yesterday to discuss those plans… so that no damage to the evidence, no damage will be done, and that the plan will be careful, because 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,” Dr. Jasionowski explained.
“So it has to take its time, and as far as the team is concerned, I’ve met the salvage masters and the engineers. They are operating full days, even before they are contracted, they are preparing for this.”
Dr. Jasionowski noted that operational timelines are being established, with daily updates expected “Right now, as of a few days, it will take maybe another week, another two weeks or so. We will be getting daily reports, that’s what they promised, so we will be involved in making sure that as far as our terms of reference and getting evidence is concerned, it is capable of salvaging.”
The intact recovery of the MV Barima is crucial. Earlier attempts, by the administration to deem the wreck a permanent submerged memorial were met with fierce public backlash from victims’ families, who accused officials of attempting to cover up regulatory failures and abandon the search for answers.
While heavy demolition techniques, such as those previously used by Koole Contractors on the cargo ship Miss Elissa, are capable of clearing river hazards quickly, MARAD’s tender strictly mandates a non-destructive lift. The vessel must be raised intact and placed upright onto a barge so forensic investigators can inspect the hull and internal structures.
With the contract now officially awarded to BK International under “No Cure, No Pay” terms, the firm faces mounting public scrutiny to prove it possesses the engineering expertise required for one of the most complex, evidence-sensitive salvage operations in Guyana’s maritime history.
Source: Kaieteur News
