GEORGETOWN, GUYANA – October 22, 2026 – In testimony before the public Commission of Inquiry (COI) investigating the July 19 capsizing of the MV Barima ferry that killed more than 100 people, Marine Rescue Coordination Centre (MRCC) Coordinator John Flores has defended the existing national emergency response framework, arguing it was sufficient to handle the disaster that unfolded 10 miles off Guyana’s Essequibo Coast.
The MV Barima, an 87-year-old vessel dating back to Guyana’s colonial era, was traveling from Georgetown to Port Kaituma when it capsized, becoming one of the deadliest maritime disasters in the country’s recent history. In the chaotic immediate aftermath of the tragedy, Public Works Minister Juan Edghill initially cited a passenger manifest putting the total number of people on board at 133 (116 passengers and 17 crew). That figure was later revised to 179 after surveillance footage revealed dozens of unlisted passengers who had boarded the ferry. On Thursday, Flores publicly confirmed the government’s official revised count of 125 occupants for the first time during his COI testimony.
To date, law enforcement and civilian rescue teams have pulled 69 survivors from the water and recovered 71 bodies. The ferry’s captain and first mate have been formally charged with the murder of 76 passengers who died in the incident.
Flores, a former Commander of the Guyana Defence Force (GDF) Coast Guard with extensive international search and rescue training, acknowledged that there is no specific emergency response plan tailored for ferries operated by the Ministry of Public Works’ Transport and Harbours Department (T&HD). When pressed by COI lawyer Arudranauth Gossai on whether the existing plan – developed for a potential collision involving a large cruise ship carrying 9,453 people – was sufficient for the smaller ferry carrying only 125 passengers, Flores argued that the framework was still adequate. “Comparatively, the passenger counts on ferries do not exceed the capacity built into this existing plan, so we were able to mobilize resources from other government agencies to cover the response,” he explained.
Flores went on to note that he used the existing cruise ship emergency plan as the operating blueprint for the MV Barima response, adding that the core Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) for the disaster matched the needs of the ferry incident, only differing in scale of required resources. “We generally complied with nearly all required protocols outlined in the plan on the night of the disaster,” he said, noting that his team checked off each required step as the operation unfolded.
The most significant operational challenge Flores cited during the response was inadequate on-site radio communication that prevented direct coordination with first responders at the capsizing site. He also revealed a critical gap related to the ferry’s Emergency Position-Indicating Radio Beacon (EPIRB), which sent the initial distress signal via satellite to the Cheddi Jagan Airport Control Tower, which then relayed the alert to the GDF Coast Guard. Because the EPIRB was not registered, local authorities were unable to immediately identify the vessel in distress, delaying early response coordination.
Looking ahead, Flores expressed optimism that upcoming infrastructure upgrades will resolve key communication gaps. A new integrated satellite and radio communications system is set to be commissioned next week, which will allow the MRCC to receive distress alerts directly from satellites, eliminating the intermediate step through the airport control tower. The system will also equip on-scene rescue teams with long-range communication radios to improve on-site coordination for future emergencies.