On Thursday, members of the Commission of Inquiry (CoI) probing the July 18 MV Barima sinking tragedy that killed over 100 people arrived for a scheduled site inspection of Guyana’s Transport and Harbours Department (T&HD) goods wharf in Kingston, Water Street — and immediately noticed signs that the facility had been heavily prepped for their visit.
The five-member panel, appointed by President Irfaan Ali to investigate the disaster and recommend maritime safety reforms, first turned their attention to a new vehicle weigh scale installed under a temporary tent on the wharf. Upon closer inspection, commissioners found that despite the equipment being clearly brand new — confirmed by still-sticky adhesive on its product tags — none of the scale’s connecting cables were hooked up to any weight-displaying device. It was only minutes after the commissioners pointed out this disconnect that a T&HD staff member retrieved two locked portable digital weight indicators from an internal storage room and unlocked them for the inspection team.
Other signs of last-minute preparation were widespread across the terminal, according to on-site observations and anonymous source reporting from Demerara Waves. Multiple T&HD workers were issued brand-new high-visibility reflective vests specifically for the visit, and the passenger waiting area’s child-friendly play zone was found to be spotless and seemingly unused, with workers documented cleaning waiting area chairs earlier that morning. When approached by reporters to answer questions about the apparent last-minute touch-ups, T&HD General Manager Yolanda Hughes declined to comment on any aspect of the site preparation.
Beyond the wharf inspection, the commission extended its probe to the MV Ma Lisha, a four-year-old ferry purchased by Guyana from India in 2022 for US$12.7 million to serve passenger and cargo routes to the North West District — the same route the sunken MV Barima operated. During a walkthrough of the vessel, Captain Hamada Fouda, a senior maritime surveyor, compliance auditor with the Maritime Authority of Jamaica, and CoI member, discovered widespread premature corrosion and poor maintenance across multiple components. In one striking example, a rusted protective cap for a tank air vent crumbled into pieces when Fouda touched it, and a nearby identical vent was found to be missing its manual valve wheel entirely.
CoI Chairman Justice Godfrey Smith outlined the panel’s broad mandate in comments Thursday: the team is tasked with reviewing every环节 contributing to maritime safety in Guyana, including inspection protocols, vessel certification, routine maintenance systems, operational procedures, regulatory supervision, staffing levels, crew training, and overall enforcement of existing safety rules. The inquiry’s end goal is to identify gaps in current legislation and regulation that require updating, clarify blurred lines of institutional responsibility, outline necessary policy overhauls, map required training and certification upgrades, improve emergency response frameworks, and flag critical infrastructure and system upgrades needed long-term to prevent future disasters.
Smith confirmed that the commission stands ready to submit interim safety recommendations directly to President Ali at any point if urgent public safety risks are identified before the final report is completed. The July 18 sinking of the MV Barima occurred roughly 10 miles off the Essequibo Coast, as the ferry was traveling from Georgetown to Port Kaituma, with 179 passengers and crew on board.