Management team responsible for loading and dispatch of MV Barima sent on leave after tragedy – News Source Guyana

Minister of Public Works, Juan Edghill this morning announced that the entire management team responsible for the loading, dispatch, and overall management of the MV Barima has been sent off from duty.

In a statement on Facebook, Minister Edghill said the decisive action aims to guarantee the absolute integrity of the upcoming inquiry.

“By removing the team from the workplace, the government intends to prevent any potential tampering with or interference in evidence and materials, thereby ensuring a completely fair and unprejudiced outcome,” the Public Works Minister said.

At a late night press conference Sunday, both the Prime Minister and the Minister of Public Works disclosed that since the deadly incident on Saturday night, major operational breaches have been detected, particularly with regards to the loading and dispatching of the vessel.

Minister Bishop Juan Edghill convened a late-night meeting with the senior management staff of the Transport and Harbours Department, including the General Manager.

During this briefing, the team was formally notified of the suspension and the administrative steps moving forward.

 “As part of the soon to come investigation, video footage from the Kingston Goods Wharf—the point of departure for the MV Barima—has already been extracted by the Guyana Police Force for a comprehensive review. This critical surveillance data is expected to provide vital insights into the sequence of events leading up to the incident,” the Minister said.

Already, three persons – the Captain, the First Engineer and a Sailor – have been arrested, while the mate or the person who was second in command of the vessel when disaster struck is assisting with the investigation.

Minister Edghill said the Government remains commitment to conducting a thorough, transparent, and exhaustive investigation into this tragedy to ensure full accountability.

According to the authorities 67 persons have been rescued, half of whom were not listed on the official manifest. It therefore means, almost 100 people or possibly more remain missing at this time