Ten days after one of Guyana’s deadliest maritime disasters in recent history, three senior officials connected to the sunken ferry MV Barima have been formally charged with murder over the deaths of dozens of passengers and crew members, Guyanese police confirmed in an official announcement Tuesday.
The three accused individuals, all employed by Guyana’s Transport and Harbour Department, include 40-year-old vessel captain Kevin Price, a resident of Melanie Damishana on the East Coast Demerara; 42-year-old chief mate Rondell Dwayne Roberts, who lives in Grove Public Road on the East Bank Demerara; and 33-year-old Delon Granderson, the department’s Goods Superintendent from Fellowship on the West Coast Demerara.
Authorities confirmed the murder charges — filed under common law — were approved after the Guyana Police Force received formal legal guidance from the nation’s Director of Public Prosecutions. The charges are directly tied to the fatal sinking that unfolded July 18, when the MV Barima capsized in Atlantic waters off Guyana’s Essequibo Coast during a routine voyage.
All three suspects made their initial court appearance Tuesday morning before Chief Magistrate Judy Latchman at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Court, where the murder charges were formally read aloud. Under Guyanese judicial procedure, the accused were not required to enter a plea at this initial hearing, and all three were immediately remanded to state custody. The case has been transferred to the Charity Magistrate’s Court, with the next adjourned hearing scheduled for August 3, 2026.
Revelations in the weeks following the sinking have already raised serious public questions about operational negligence on the vessel. Public Works Minister Juan Edghill confirmed shortly after the disaster that both the captain and a senior crew member tested positive for marijuana in toxicology screenings conducted within hours of the vessel going down.
As of Monday, the official death toll and casualty count stands at 73 confirmed fatalities, with 76 people rescued alive from the Atlantic. Prime Minister Mark Phillips shared the updated figures during an address to Guyana’s National Assembly Monday, noting that at least 30 of the 179 total passengers and crew on board remain unaccounted for 10 days after the tragedy.
The case has already sparked widespread public debate over maritime safety regulations and government oversight of ferry operations in Guyana, with calls for broader investigations into systemic gaps that may have contributed to the disaster.