Carib Scope

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  • Zoekactie naar slachtoffers MV Barima loopt vast; 30 mensen nog vermist

    Zoekactie naar slachtoffers MV Barima loopt vast; 30 mensen nog vermist

    Nearly two weeks after the deadly MV Barima shipwreck off the coast of Guyana, large-scale search and recovery operations have failed to locate any additional victims over the past 48 hours, leaving 30 passengers and crew unaccounted for amid growing safety warnings from elite French military divers assisting in the effort.

    French diving teams, deployed to support the recovery mission, have warned that entering the sunken vessel’s wreckage is an extreme life-threatening risk. According to a member of the French unit, zero visibility inside the hull, caused by thick suspended mud, powerful shifting currents and changing tides, forces divers to explore the wreck almost entirely by touch. Over 15 dives have already been completed, but tangled ropes, loose debris, unstable structural framing and shifting hammock netting further block access and raise the risk of catastrophic collapse for anyone entering the vessel. Raising the entire sunken wreck from the seabed is also classified as exceptionally challenging, experts add, due to the severely deteriorated condition of the hull.

    Guyana’s Prime Minister Mark Phillips confirmed Sunday that the search operation will continue despite the dangerous conditions, noting that no changes to the official casualty count have been recorded over the past two days. Opposition leader Azruddin Mohamed, who is participating in coordination of the search effort, echoed that update, confirming no new victims have been recovered in the most recent phase of operations. The current official toll stands at 73 fatalities recovered, 76 survivors rescued, and 30 people still listed as missing.

    The MV Barima was en route from the Guyanese capital of Georgetown to Port Kaituma when the disaster occurred. Official passenger logs initially listed 116 passengers and 17 crew members on board, but a review of security camera footage and additional on-the-ground investigations has led the Guyanese government to estimate the total number of people on the vessel was actually around 179, as dozens of passengers boarded without being added to the official manifest.

    In a parallel development, the Guyanese government has established an independent international commission of inquiry to probe the root causes of the disaster, which is already the deadliest maritime tragedy in Guyana’s modern history. The probe is led by Phillip Godfrey Smith, former attorney general of Belize, and includes maritime safety and legal experts from Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago.

    Investigators will examine multiple key lines of inquiry, including whether the vessel was severely overloaded, whether cargo was improperly stowed, whether critical passenger safety protocols were ignored, and whether crew members or regulatory authorities bear responsibility for negligence. Multiple survivors have already given statements confirming water began leaking into the vessel before it sank, and that multiple warnings about the leak were dismissed by crew. Three people, including the vessel’s captain, have already been taken into custody; the captain tested positive for marijuana following the disaster.

    Guyanese authorities have reaffirmed their commitment to continuing the search and recovery mission until all 30 missing people are located and recovered.

  • Global Affairs Canada and UNOPS sign agreement

    Global Affairs Canada and UNOPS sign agreement

    A landmark new partnership between Global Affairs Canada and the United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS) has birthed the Caribbean Resilient Infrastructure Implementation and Skills Exchange (RIISE) Facility, a first-of-its-kind regional initiative aimed at boosting Caribbean governments’ capacity to deliver climate-resilient infrastructure projects. Scheduled for an official launch on September 14, 2026, alongside the Caribbean Infrastructure Forum (CARIF) in Miami, the facility fills a critical gap in regional development support by focusing specifically on the under-addressed implementation phase of infrastructure projects.

    Funded entirely by the Government of Canada and hosted by UNOPS, RIISE will kick off its operations by supporting four Eastern Caribbean nations: Dominica, Grenada, St Lucia, and St Vincent and the Grenadines. A dedicated regional secretariat, based in Barbados, will serve as the central hub for the initiative, merging on-the-ground regional leadership with UNOPS’s decades of global development expertise and adherence to United Nations administrative standards and core values. The secretariat’s core function will be to coordinate incoming requests from participating national governments and mobilize specialized, context-appropriate expertise to tackle the specific implementation bottlenecks delaying critical infrastructure work.

    Across the Caribbean basin, governments have laid out ambitious agendas to upgrade infrastructure and scale up investments in climate resilience, a pressing priority given the region’s outsized vulnerability to extreme weather events and rising sea levels. However, many of these planned projects have been held back by systemic implementation challenges, from limited local specialized capacity to gaps in technical knowledge that slow delivery and increase costs. RIISE was developed directly in response to this expressed demand from Caribbean governments, providing targeted technical support designed to strengthen national implementation capacity and speed up the delivery of high-priority projects.
    Brenda Wills, Canada’s High Commissioner to Barbados and the Eastern Caribbean, emphasized the initiative’s alignment with Canada’s longstanding commitment to the Caribbean region. “Canada is proud to support RIISE as part of our longstanding commitment to strengthening climate resilience across the Caribbean,” Wills noted. “By helping governments deliver resilient infrastructure more effectively, build local capacity and promote specialized expertise across the region, RIISE will generate lasting benefits for Caribbean communities while deepening the strong ties between Canada and the region.”
    Giuseppe Mancinelli, UNOPS Director for Barbados and Caribbean Coordinator, explained that the initiative is built around the development priorities set by Caribbean nations themselves. “Caribbean governments have clear priorities and an ambitious vision for resilient and sustainable development. RIISE will provide timely access to the specialized expertise they need to overcome implementation challenges and turn those priorities into tangible results for communities. At the same time, it will strengthen national capacities and foster greater regional collaboration,” Mancinelli said.
    Unlike existing regional mechanisms that focus primarily on project financing and pre-implementation preparation, RIISE complements these existing frameworks by zeroing in on the execution stage, turning already approved investments and national development priorities into on-the-ground outcomes for local communities. The support offered through the facility is fully customizable to each government’s specific needs, and can include short-term technical advisory services, temporary deployment of specialized infrastructure and resilience experts, and cross-border knowledge and experience exchanges between participating nations.
    Participating governments currently facing implementation roadblocks on planned infrastructure projects are encouraged to connect with the RIISE coordinating team early in the process, as the initiative explores opportunities for its first round of support. The official launch next year will mark the formal start of the facility’s operations, kicking off a new chapter of regional collaboration on climate-resilient development in the Caribbean.

  • $5.9m in marijuana seized in joint operation

    $5.9m in marijuana seized in joint operation

    A sweeping 72-hour transnational anti-narcotics operation led jointly by law enforcement agencies from the Bahamas and the United States has yielded one of the region’s recent high-profile drug seizures, with authorities intercepting a speedboat in Bahamian territorial waters and taking three Bahamian nationals into custody. Authorities confirmed the illicit cargo recovered from the vessel has an estimated street value of $5.9 million.

    According to Captain Derrick Ferguson, Staff Intelligence Officer for the Royal Bahamas Defence Force, the coordinated mission kicked off on July 24, after intelligence analysts received a tip that a Bahamian-flagged vessel transporting a massive shipment of illegal narcotics was en route to Bahamian waters. In the pre-dawn hours of July 25, a United States aerial surveillance asset picked up the vessel’s location, activating a coordinated response under two existing regional security frameworks: Operation Bahamas, Turks and Caicos, and the Bahamas Maritime Operations Coordination Working Group. The response brought together the Royal Bahamas Defence Force, the Royal Bahamas Police Force, and multiple U.S. law enforcement units.

    Ferguson outlined the deployment of resources for the intercept: U.S. authorities provided critical airborne surveillance, the RBPF mobilized its specialized drug enforcement teams, and the Defence Force repositioned two of its vessels, HMBS Kamalamee and HMBS Durward Knowles, to cut off the target’s escape route. As the operation unfolded, the crew of the targeted go-fast vessel realized they had been detected shortly after entering Bahamian territorial waters, and immediately attempted to alter course to flee back into unregulated international waters, Ferguson explained.

    With Bahamian defence vessels still repositioning to intercept, the Royal Bahamas Defence Force granted official authorization to a nearby U.S. Coast Guard cutter to board and search the vessel on its behalf. The boarding operation was completed without incident, and search teams uncovered the large cache of suspected marijuana hidden aboard the vessel, leading to the immediate detention of the three Bahamian men on board.

    Following the intercept, all three suspects, the seized narcotics, and the go-fast vessel were transferred to a Royal Bahamas Defence Force ship and transported to the HMBS Coral Harbour base for processing. While the initial estimated value of the seizure has been pegged at $5.9 million, authorities have declined to release further details on the exact volume of the drug shipment, noting that the investigation is still in its early stages.

    Next steps in the case will see the detainees and the suspected narcotics turned over to the RBPF’s Drug Enforcement Unit to continue the probe. Superintendent Wendy Pearson of the Drug Enforcement Unit confirmed that the intercepted go-fast vessel has also been seized, and will be subject to formal forfeiture under Bahamian drug law.

    In a statement emphasizing the strength of bilateral security cooperation, Ferguson stressed that the partnership between the two nations remains robust in the fight against transnational drug trafficking. “Be there no mistake. The US and the Bahamian partnership is strong, and we remain committed to detecting, disrupting, deterring, and denying any transnational criminal activity that may seek to enter and transit the Bahamian maritime jurisdiction, and as well as the US maritime jurisdiction,” he said.

  • TRINIS FOR GUYANA PROBE

    TRINIS FOR GUYANA PROBE

    Following one of the deadliest maritime disasters in Guyana’s recent history, the Guyanese government has formally established an independent international commission of enquiry to investigate the sinking of the passenger ferry MV Barima, with five seasoned global experts tapped to lead the probe. Among the appointed commissioners is Nyree Alfonso, a prominent maritime law specialist from Trinidad and Tobago, who will join the multi-national panel ahead of the official enquiry launch.

    In an interview with Trinidad and Tobago’s Express on the eve of her formal appointment, Alfonso outlined that the commission’s core mandate goes beyond simply identifying the cause of the tragedy: the panel will deliver evidence-based recommendations to close gaps in maritime safety regulation and prevent similar loss of life in the future. “I wish we could bring back the dead, but we can’t. We have to figure out what went wrong and make recommendations in the hope that such a tragedy does not happen again,” Alfonso shared, emphasizing the gravity of the panel’s work.

    Alfonso, a practicing specialist in Admiralty and Maritime Law with years of experience investigating fatal maritime incidents, noted that while she has worked on multiple sea fatality probes, none have matched the scale of the MV Barima disaster. She added that the international makeup of the commission allows it to leverage diverse specialized expertise across every aspect of maritime operations, ensuring a thorough, unbiased investigation. The five-member panel brings cross-disciplinary experience ranging from legal adjudication to naval engineering, a design intended to address every potential factor that contributed to the sinking.

    Beyond the investigation itself, Alfonso stressed that robust maritime safety is a global priority for any nation operating passenger ferry services, pointing to Trinidad and Tobago’s popular water taxi network as an example. “If something like this were to happen on a vessel such as the water taxi, the fatalities could be far greater. It is important that maritime safety is done properly,” she said.

    Guyanese President Dr Mohamed Irfaan Ali first announced the creation of the independent commission in an official video statement posted to his public Facebook page, one day before the formal appointment of commissioners. Heading the panel is Justice Godfrey Phillip Smith, a senior legal figure from Belize who currently serves as the Caribbean Community (Caricom) High-Level Representative on Law and Criminal Justice, and also holds a position as an ad hoc Justice of Appeal in the Eastern Caribbean. Smith brings prior experience conducting high-level public enquiries in Guyana, having previously served on the country’s 2020 Presidential Commission of Enquiry into General and Regional Elections.

    Joining Smith and Alfonso are three other internationally recognized experts: retired Rear Admiral Hayden Pritchard of Trinidad and Tobago, a former chief of defence staff for the Trinidad and Tobago Defence Force with decades of experience in maritime security and military operations; internationally acclaimed forensic naval architect and marine engineer Dr Andrzej Jasionowski of Poland, who has provided expert analysis for dozens of major maritime incident investigations; and Captain Hamada Fouda, a senior maritime surveyor and compliance auditor with the Maritime Authority of Jamaica.

    President Ali detailed that the enquiry will leave no stone unturned in examining all circumstances surrounding the July 18 capsizing and sinking of the MV Barima, which was traveling from Guyana’s capital Georgetown to Port Kaituma when the disaster occurred. Key lines of inquiry include the MV Barima’s structural condition and seaworthiness prior to departure, weather and sea conditions on the day of the voyage, crew training and competence, passenger management protocols, the implementation of on-board safety procedures, and the availability and functionality of life-saving equipment. In addition to determining root causes, the commission will deliver formal recommendations for legislative, regulatory and operational reforms to strengthen Guyana’s overall maritime safety framework and reduce the risk of future tragedies.

    Official casualty reports confirm that 179 passengers were on board the ferry when it sank. Rescue operations pulled 76 survivors from the water, while recovery teams have recovered 73 bodies to date.

  • Antigua and Barbuda Named Among Caribbean’s Best Retirement Destinations for Americans

    Antigua and Barbuda Named Among Caribbean’s Best Retirement Destinations for Americans

    For American retirees hunting for budget-friendly, easy-to-access Caribbean locations to spend their golden years, Antigua and Barbuda has secured a spot among the top four most desirable destinations, according to a recent analysis from financial education outlet Investopedia.

    Released on July 25, the report placed Antigua and Barbuda alongside three other top contenders: the Dominican Republic, The Bahamas, and Jamaica. To build its ranking, Investopedia evaluated six core categories: cost of living, pathways to residency, healthcare quality, travel accessibility, overall quality of life, and governance standards, with a total of 38 separate criteria and over 1,500 individual data points drawn from research conducted between January 30 and February 9. Affordability was weighted as the most important factor, followed by residency benefits, healthcare, accessibility, quality of life, and governance.

    Among the standout features the report highlighted for Antigua and Barbuda is its widespread English fluency, a major draw for American retirees who avoid language barriers. The country also boasts well-developed infrastructure and established expat communities concentrated in popular areas including Jolly Harbour and English Harbour, making it easy for new arrivals to settle in and build social connections.

    For those looking to put down permanent roots, Antigua and Barbuda offers flexible pathways to legal status, Investopedia noted. Retirees can apply for permanent residency, or pursue full citizenship through the nation’s long-running Citizenship by Investment Programme. The program requires a minimum non-refundable contribution of $230,000 U.S. to the national development fund, or a minimum investment of $300,000 U.S. in approved real estate projects.

    Another key economic advantage cited in the report is the country’s tax structure, which is designed to be retiree-friendly. Antigua and Barbuda charges no personal income tax, capital gains tax, wealth tax, or inheritance tax, allowing retirees to keep more of their savings and pass assets to heirs without additional tax burdens.

    The analysis did not shy away from noting drawbacks, however. A large share of consumer goods in Antigua and Barbuda are imported, which drives up everyday living costs compared to many other locations. Property prices are also significantly higher than regional averages, making upfront entry costs steeper for retirees looking to buy a home.

    On the healthcare front, the report framed Antigua and Barbuda’s system as one of the most robust in the Eastern Caribbean. Most advanced medical services are centered at the Sir Lester Bird Medical Centre, the country’s main public hospital located in the capital city of St. John’s, ensuring that retirees have access to critical care close to home.

    For U.S. retirees weighing Caribbean retirement options, the ranking positions Antigua and Barbuda as a strong contender that balances lifestyle benefits with legal and tax advantages, even as it acknowledges the higher cost barriers that come with living on the island nation.

  • Antigua and Barbuda-Flagged Cargo Ship Remains Grounded in Canada After Refloating Effort Fails

    Antigua and Barbuda-Flagged Cargo Ship Remains Grounded in Canada After Refloating Effort Fails

    More than three weeks after a critical steering malfunction left it stranded in one of Canada’s busiest commercial waterways, a general cargo ship flying the flag of Antigua and Barbuda remains stuck on the shores of the St. Lawrence River. According to reporting from the Montreal Gazette, the 146-metre vessel, named the Onego Otra, ran aground on June 30 in the stretch of water between Île St-Ours and Contrecoeur, a region located northeast of Montreal.

    Canadian Coast Guard spokesperson Craig Macartney confirmed that the grounding was caused by a mechanical failure affecting the ship’s rudder, the key component that controls steering and directional movement. Fortunately, the accident has not triggered major disruptions to regional shipping: the Onego Otra came to rest fully outside the main shipping channel, leaving the core navigation route clear for all other transiting vessels.

    As of current updates, there have been no reports of injuries to the crew, and environmental monitoring teams have detected no leaks or pollution in the surrounding waters. Canadian authorities have characterized the overall situation as stable, while ongoing planning continues for a future operation to refloat the stranded vessel.

    Initial recovery efforts got underway in mid-July. On July 12 and 13, salvage crews completed lightering operations, a standard procedure that involves offloading cargo to reduce the ship’s draft and overall weight ahead of a refloating attempt. In total, teams removed 2,720 metric tons of cargo from the Onego Otra.

    Three powerful tugboats were deployed on July 14 to pull the vessel free from its grounded position, but the first attempt ultimately failed to move the ship. Built in 2010, the Onego Otra had just departed from the port of Montreal when the rudder malfunction occurred, leaving it stranded in its current position. To date, authorities have not announced a timeline for when a second refloating attempt will be launched.

    The ship’s prolonged grounding has continued to have no impact on St. Lawrence River commercial traffic, thanks to its position outside the designated navigation lane, keeping supply chains and transit schedules largely unaffected by the incident.

  • No more bodies from sunken ferry MV Barima in two days

    No more bodies from sunken ferry MV Barima in two days

    One week has passed since the Guyanese ferry MV Barima sank in waters off the country’s northeast coast, and recovery operations have hit a critical wall, official sources confirmed Sunday. French military divers deployed to assist in the search and recovery mission say extreme visibility constraints and hazardous conditions inside the sunken vessel have made further progress nearly impossible, leaving 30 passengers and crew still unaccounted for after two full days with no new bodies recovered.

    In a nearly three-minute video posted to Guyanese President Irfaan Ali’s official Facebook page, a French diving team member outlined the crippling challenges divers face at the wreck site. “We have to navigate the wreck entirely by touch — we are essentially blind,” the soldier explained. Tangled ropes and unsecured hammocks litter the interior of the sunken ferry, making route planning extremely dangerous, while thick layers of mud, shifting tides and strong persistent currents further obscure visibility and complicate movements. To date, divers have completed 15 separate dives to the wreck, but all attempts to systematically search the interior have been thwarted by these conditions.

    The diver added that even attempts to salvage the entire vessel to recover remains face major structural barriers. The wreck’s deteriorated condition means any large-scale lifting operation carries a high risk of the vessel breaking apart entirely, making salvage a logistical nightmare. “I think it’s very, very hard to do such a thing. The wreck is not very stable, so removing it intact is incredibly difficult,” he added.

    Multiple authoritative sources familiar with the ongoing operation have confirmed that no additional human remains have been located over the past 48 hours. Opposition Leader Azruddin Mohamed, who has joined local authorities in coordinating search efforts, echoed that assessment Sunday, confirming no new recoveries have been made.

    The most recent formal update on the disaster was released Friday evening by Guyana’s Prime Minister Mark Phillips, who confirmed at that time that the confirmed death toll stood at 73, 76 people had been rescued alive from the sinking, and 30 people remained missing. When contacted by reporters Sunday evening after he delivered opening remarks at a regional Caribbean Electric Utility Services Corporation (CARILEC) conference at Georgetown’s Marriott Hotel, Phillips initially declined to comment as he walked away from reporters, before offering a brief statement: “The search for bodies and the recovery continues. There has been no change in that,” he said, before moving on to attend the conference’s exhibition opening.

    A key discrepancy in passenger counts has added to the complexity of the recovery effort. The official vessel manifest listed 116 passengers and 17 crew members who boarded the MV Barima at Georgetown’s Kingston Goods Wharf for the voyage to Port Kaituma. However, after cross-referencing the manifest with the list of rescued passengers and reviewing security camera footage from the wharf, the Guyanese government now estimates that as many as 179 people were on board the overloaded vessel when it departed.

  • Guyana appoints experts to investigate ferry tragedy

    Guyana appoints experts to investigate ferry tragedy

    GEORGETOWN, Guyana – In the wake of the deadliest maritime tragedy in the nation’s recorded history, the Guyanese government announced Sunday the formation of an independent international investigative commission to examine the recent sinking of the state-owned MV Barima ferry, which has claimed dozens of lives.

    The 87-year-old vessel capsized in the Atlantic Ocean on June 18 shortly after leaving the capital Georgetown, bound for Port Kaituma, a remote Indigenous community located along Guyana’s border with Venezuela. Official records indicate 179 passengers were aboard the ferry when it overturned. To date, recovery teams have recovered 73 bodies and pulled 76 survivors from the water. International salvage teams are currently working to raise the sunken vessel from the seabed to allow forensic experts to conduct a full structural and operational inspection.

    In a national address delivered Sunday, President Irfaan Ali confirmed that the five-person investigative commission has been granted broad investigative authority and will operate fully independent of government influence. Leading the panel is Phillip Godfrey Smith, former attorney general of Belize. The team also includes a legal specialist, a naval architect, and additional maritime safety experts drawn from Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago. The commission’s mandate extends to examining whether professional negligence played any role in the disaster.

    Local law enforcement has already taken three people into custody in connection with the sinking. Among those arrested is the ferry’s captain, one of the rescued survivors, who tested positive for marijuana following the incident. A second crew member is also in custody.

    President Ali outlined the wide range of factors the commission will scrutinize as part of its probe. These include passenger management protocols from embarkation to departure, the accuracy of the vessel’s passenger manifest, whether overcrowding contributed to the capsizing, cargo storage practices, the availability and proper use of life-saving equipment, and overall compliance with national passenger safety regulations.

    Many of the survivors, who spent hours clinging to floating debris waiting for rescue after the ship overturned, have already spoken publicly about dangerous conditions on board. They claim the ferry was severely overloaded with both passengers and cargo, including multiple vehicles and large cargo pallets. Survivors also allege that crew members ignored repeated reports from passengers that the vessel was taking on water, dismissing the issue as a normal part of operations.

    Beyond examining the immediate causes of the disaster, the commission has been tasked with determining whether any acts of negligence, professional misconduct, dereliction of duty, or systemic failures on the part of individuals, private entities, or government institutions contributed to the tragedy. This includes reviews of the vessel’s maintenance history, its structural condition, the role of tidal conditions at the time of the voyage, the functionality of navigation and communication equipment, and all other relevant operational factors.

    Most importantly, Ali noted that the administration expects the commission to deliver actionable recommendations for institutional and operational overhauls that can strengthen Guyana’s maritime safety framework, boost national emergency preparedness and response capacity, and reduce the risk of similar catastrophic tragedies occurring in the future.

  • Belize’s Godfrey Smith to Lead Inquiry into Guyana’s Ferry Disaster

    Belize’s Godfrey Smith to Lead Inquiry into Guyana’s Ferry Disaster

    One week after the deadly capsizing of the Guyanese ferry MV Barima that sparked urgent calls for transparency and accountability, President Irfaan Ali has formally established an independent, international Commission of Inquiry to unpack every detail of the tragedy, tapping seasoned Belizean jurist Godfrey Philip Smith to lead the five-member investigative panel.

    Smith brings decades of high-level regional legal experience to the role, currently holding two prominent positions: CARICOM High Level Representative for Law and Criminal Justice, and ad hoc justice of the Eastern Caribbean Court of Appeal. He will be joined by a cross-disciplinary team of international experts drawn from across the globe to ensure an impartial, thorough investigation: Polish naval architect and marine engineer Dr Andrzej Jasionowski, Jamaican maritime surveyor Captain Hamada Fouda, Trinidadian admiralty lawyer Nyree Dawn Alfonso, and retired Trinidadian Rear Admiral Hayden Pritchard. The diverse, international composition of the commission is designed to avoid conflicts of interest and deliver a credible, unbiased assessment of the disaster.

    In an official announcement confirming the panel’s appointments, President Ali outlined the commission’s sweeping mandate, which leaves no aspect of the tragedy unexamined. From the initial processes of cargo loading and passenger boarding to the sequence of events that led to the vessel capsizing, every step of the ferry’s final voyage will be scrutinized.

    “The terms of reference of the Commission of Inquiry will be establishing the full circumstances surrounding the tragedy, including the causes and all other factors relating to the loading of the vessel, the boarding of passengers, conditions on board, the capsizing and sinking of the MV Barima, and any other related matters,” Ali stated.

    Beyond investigating the immediate causes of the capsizing, the commission is tasked with reviewing the effectiveness of the emergency search, rescue and recovery operations launched after the incident. It will also assess whether existing ferry safety regulations were properly followed by all relevant parties, and determine whether negligence or misconduct by any individual or public or private institution contributed to the disaster.

    Additional areas of inquiry include the MV Barima’s full maintenance history and its seaworthiness ahead of the voyage, the weather and sea conditions at the time of the capsizing, and the training, qualifications and conduct of the ferry’s master and crew. Investigators will also audit passenger manifest management practices, examine claims of overcrowding, and verify whether the vessel carried sufficient, functional life-saving equipment to meet safety standards.

    The disaster unfolded on July 19, when the MV Barima capsized mid-voyage while traveling from Guyana’s capital Georgetown to Port Kaituma. In the days following the incident, Guyanese authorities disclosed that the vessel was carrying far more passengers than initial official reports indicated. Two people connected to the ferry – the captain and a separate crew member – have already been taken into custody, after toxicology tests returned positive results for marijuana use.

  • Dominican Republic to host Latin American food security summit in August

    Dominican Republic to host Latin American food security summit in August

    The Dominican Republic’s capital of Santo Domingo is gearing up to welcome hundreds of government representatives and food security specialists from across Latin America and the Caribbean next month, as it takes on the role of host for the 11th annual gathering of the Network of Public Food Supply and Marketing Systems (Red SPAA). The three-day event, scheduled to run from August 11 to 13, marks a key collaborative moment for regional stakeholders working to address persistent food security challenges across the hemisphere.

    This landmark conference is the product of a joint organizational effort between four major entities: the Dominican Republic’s Presidency, the country’s national Price Stabilization Institute (known locally as Inespre), the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), and the Red SPAA network itself. Unlike many routine regional gatherings, the summit is designed as an interactive working platform, where attending nations can share tested policy approaches, successful operational models, and actionable strategies designed to reinforce public food distribution infrastructure and shore up collective food security outcomes across the region.

    Inespre’s top leader, Executive Director David Herrera Díaz, has confirmed that delegations from 14 regional nations have signaled their intention to participate in the event. The attending countries include major regional economies such as Brazil and Mexico, alongside Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, and Uruguay, bringing a diverse range of national contexts and food system models to the discussion table.

    The summit will kick off with an official opening ceremony on the morning of August 11, which will feature head-of-state level participation from Dominican Republic President Luis Abinader. The opening event will also be attended by senior Dominican government authorities, high-ranking international organization officials, and lead delegates from all participating Red SPAA member countries, setting a collaborative tone for the three days of working sessions to follow.