As of Tuesday, July 28, 2026, Guyana’s Prime Minister Mark Phillips has confirmed that multiple international firms have offered to salvage the sunken ferry MV Barima, but the final call on whether to raise the wreckage will be determined entirely by the families of missing passengers. The sunken vessel is believed to hold the remains of unaccounted-for occupants and key physical evidence that will feed into the official Commission of Inquiry into the sinking, but the government has prioritized family preferences over immediate recovery, Phillips said at a recent press conference.
When pressed on whether the government’s delay to order salvage was an attempt to suppress concrete evidence of potential engine failure that would be uncovered from a full inspection of the vessel, Phillips denied the accusation but did not provide a direct response. Both Phillips and Captain John Flores, Emergency Operations Coordinator at the Maritime Search and Rescue Coordination Centre, have argued that the inquiry can still draw conclusions from survivor and crew testimony even if the wreckage and its engine are never recovered. “Even if you don’t pull the boat and the engine out for inspection, crew and passengers can testify to whether the engine stalled or required emergency repairs at sea,” Phillips explained. “From that testimony, the commission can still draw conclusions about any underlying problems. This can work either way.”
The government is currently circulating a questionnaire among family members of victims asking whether they support salvaging the MV Barima or prefer to leave the wreck on the seabed as a permanent memorial site. Phillips emphasized that the administration stands ready to honor whatever decision the families reach. “We already have multiple formal offers for salvage on the table, but at this stage, the wishes of the families are the only priority,” he said. “If families indicate they would prefer for the site to remain undisturbed as a memorial, we will move forward with that option.”
In response to questions about why the government would defer to families when the wreck holds critical evidence about the state of the vessel’s engines, navigation equipment and other factors tied to the sinking’s cause, Phillips reiterated that the government is committed to uncovering the full truth while also respecting the needs of grieving relatives. He added that President Irfaan Ali has held multiple direct meetings with families of survivors and the 30 passengers still listed as missing, and the choice between a memorial and salvage has been a core topic of those discussions.
Phillips pushed back firmly against speculation that the government is attempting to cover up details of the sinking, and denied claims that officials are quietly pressuring families to oppose salvage. “The government has nothing to hide. I can say that clearly and upfront: we have nothing to hide,” he stated. When asked if the administration was trying to persuade families to support leaving the wreck in place, he replied, “No, no, no. Government is not trying to convince anybody to say anything.” He also declined to answer a specific question about which party first floated the idea of a seabed memorial.
Beyond questions of salvage, Phillips acknowledged that the Public Works Ministry had lost multiple all-terrain vehicles, fuel, and other supplies when the ferry sank. Unconfirmed reports also indicate an unregistered large generator was among the heavy cargo aboard the vessel. When it comes to lingering questions about whether the MV Barima was overloaded when it sank, Phillips said that determination will be left to the Commission of Inquiry. “From the very start, the government has acknowledged that there are multiple discrepancies in the existing information about this incident,” he said. “There have been public statements that the vessel was not overloaded, but the fact that we have already identified one inconsistency means there may be others that need to be fully examined.”
In a separate announcement, the Prime Minister confirmed that once the Commission of Inquiry begins its work, the government will cover all transportation costs to bring witnesses from across the country to give testimony.