Commission of Inquiry Consulted on Salvaging MV Barima

GEORGETOWN, Guyana – The chairman of the Commission of Inquiry into the July 18, 2026 sinking of the MV Barima, retired justice Godfrey Smith, Wednesday said the process of raising the vessel has been discussed.

“Our understanding is that the process of raising the vessel is in process, meaning it is being examined and looked at,” Smith said, adding that one of the Commission’s members had participated in a related process earlier this week.

Commissioner Dr. Andrzej Jasionowski of Poland, a naval architect and marine engineer, told a news conference that he met with a preferred salvage team to discuss the process of salving and “process of evidence preservation.”

Jasionowski said he was informed that negotiations and conclusion of that undertaking were ongoing, and would be concluded in a few days to make way for salvaging to begin next month.

“The salvage operations will commence, possibly this month and we will be informed of the progress and all the steps along the way,” he said, adding that the Commission might be able to witness the bringing up of the vessel.

Three companies submitted bids for the salvage contract.  They are the local companies Industrial Fabrication Inc. and B.K. International Inc., and the Netherland-based marine salvage company, KMS B.V

The tender was issued by the Maritime Administration Department for the salvage of the MV Barima on a “no cure, no pay” basis.

Industrial Fabrication submitted a bid of GUY1.895billion,withaGUY28.5 million bid security through Premier. B.K. International submitted the lowest bid at GUY1.034billion,backedbyaGUY15.6 million bid security through Nafico.

KMS B.V. submitted a bid of GUY2.0351billion,withbidsecurityofUS136,691 through KBC Bank.

The Polish marine engineer told reporters that although the wreck was on the seabed since it sank in July about 10 miles off Essequibo Coast, the evidence would still be of forensic value to the inquiry.

“Regarding the forensic value of salvage, notwithstanding the few months, two, three months that has passed, will be, if I may use a quantification, near 100 percent. The ship will give us clues that we seek on its state as it sank. It is made of steel.  The cargo is still within the confines or most of it so the forensic value will be there almost in its entirety. The time will have very little effect on any degradation, in my view,” he said.

The Commission is expected to begin its public hearings next Wednesday.

Three people, including the captain of the ill-fated ferry, Kevin Price, 40, his 42-year-old chief mate, Rondell Dwayne Roberts; and Delon Granderson, a 33-year-old,  have been charged with murder after the 87-year-old vessel sank resulting in the death of 72 people and more than 30 others missing and presumed dead.

The vessel was on its way from Georgetown to Port Kaituma, a small village within the Barima-Waini administrative region of the country. At least 77 people were rescued.

Prime Minister Mark Phillips had said that despite the official manifest indicating that 116 passengers and a crew of 17 had been on board the vessel, the authorities believe that 179 people including the crew members were on the vessel when it capsized after being hit by a large wave.

Justice Smith said the probe will examine the seaworthiness of the vessel relating to its physical condition, stability, machinery, maintenance, certification, inspection, operational condition and compliance with safety and other regulatory requirements.

The probe would also focus on the circumstances and methodology by which passengers boarded the vessel and cargo was loaded. Questions concerning passenger numbers, manifests, cargo quantities, cargo placement, loading procedures, stability, carriage of potentially hazardous material, availability and adequacy of life-saving equipment, and compliance with regulations will all be inquired into, he said.

Justice Smith says its recommendations will not be legally binding, but that the Commission was not mandated to deal with compensation.

“That is not part of our terms of reference. I can say to you that we certainly have no power to make any awards, to order any compensation,” he said.

Another Commissioner, retired Rear Admiral Hayden A. Pritchard said that not all of the Commission’s work was “hinged on whether this vessel is retrieved or not.”

Pritchard said whether or not the MV Barima is salvaged, “there is still a lot of work and conclusions that could be arrived at and those findings are critical to reforming and improving your maritime sector and the safety of how vessels conduct themselves in that space”.