As Guyana’s President Irfaan Ali participates in the 81st United Nations General Assembly debate in New York, he addressed a key unresolved national crisis during a town hall meeting with US-based Guyanese communities in Queens late Thursday night. More than two months after the devastating MV Barima ferry sinking off Guyana’s Essequibo Coast claimed an estimated 100 lives, the president has pushed back against growing opposition criticism of the government’s slow handling of recovery efforts, confirming that bidding for the vessel’s salvage operation is currently under technical review.
The tragedy, which unfolded on July 18, saw 179 passengers and crew members aboard the capsized ferry. Official records show 77 people were rescued alive from the Atlantic, while 72 remain unaccounted for, bringing the confirmed and presumed death toll to over 100. In the weeks following the disaster, the Guyanese government launched a public procurement process to select a qualified salvager, with a deadline for Expressions of Interest closing on August 14. Ultimately, nine firms submitted initial EOIs, and three bidders — Industrial Fabrications Inc. (InFab), BK International Inc, and Netherlands-headquartered KMS B.V — advanced to the formal bidding stage.
Last Saturday, opposition A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) parliamentarian Ganesh Mahipaul launched a scathing attack on the administration’s timeline. Thirty-seven days after the EOI window closed, Mahipaul said the government had failed to publicly name a contracted salvager or announce a clear mobilization date for the operation. He described the delay as inconsiderate, unacceptable, and argued that the current glacial pace of handling the tragedy amounts to inhumane treatment of the victims’ families. “The government cannot reduce the MV Barima tragedy to another file sitting on a desk somewhere in a Ministry. People died. The Government has a responsibility to demonstrate urgency in getting that vessel recovered,” Mahipaul stated.
Speaking directly to these accusations at the Queens town hall, President Ali rejected repeated claims that his government was deliberately dragging its feet to avoid a full investigation into the sinking. “We are not hiding from salvaging. There is a process, and that process is ongoing. We are not hiding from investigation,” he told attendees. The president added that the decision to run a full public tendering process was intentional, designed to avoid any allegations that he would select a firm with perceived ties to his personal associates.
Public records from Guyana’s National Procurement and Tender Administration (NPTAB) outline the details of the three competing bids. BK International has submitted the lowest offer at US$1,034,000, while InFab has proposed to carry out the salvage for US$1,895,000. KMS B.V, the highest bidder, has quoted a price of US$2,035,100 to recover the vessel, which rests roughly 10 miles off Devonshire Castle village on the Essequibo Coast. KMS B.V. has prior experience in large-scale marine recovery in Guyana, through its parent company Koole Contractors, which was hired five years ago for a GYD$787.6 million project to clear sunken vessels from the Demerara River and sections of Guyana’s coast to improve marine safety. Local firm InFab, meanwhile, has a history of emergency infrastructure work, including extensive emergency repairs to the now-decommissioned floating Demerara Harbour Bridge.
A core requirement of the salvage operation outlined in the EOI terms is that the selected contractor must preserve all forensic evidence from the wreck, to support the upcoming official Commission of Inquiry (CoI) into the causes of the disaster. As of late September, the CoI has not yet begun public hearings. Separately, three individuals facing criminal charges connected to the sinking — the ferry’s captain, first mate, and the Transport and Harbours Department’s goods superintendent — are currently seeking to have their murder charges thrown out. Their legal teams argue that authorities abused legal process by bringing criminal charges before completing a mandatory marine accident investigation under the Guyana Shipping Act.