By Antonio Dey | HGP Nightly News |
GEORGETOWN, GUYANA — Marking two full months since the tragic sinking of the MV Barima claimed more than 70 lives in national waters, grieving families and civil society advocates remain without definitive answers regarding when the submerged vessel will be raised.
Standing on the picket line outside the Office of the President on Shiv Chanderpaul Drive, prominent Indigenous rights activist Laura George demanded that the Government of Guyana bypass domestic delays and immediately outsource independent international marine salvage specialists equipped to refloat the ferry while preserving critical physical evidence.
The renewed demonstrations follow mounting public anxiety over the handling of the disaster, with opposition figures and affected indigenous communities criticizing the administration’s perceived opacity surrounding the procurement of salvage contractors and the timeline for formal public inquiry hearings.
Preserving Evidence: Activist Demands Independent Foreign Salvage Teams
Speaking during the demonstration, George emphasized that raising the vessel is not merely an engineering task, but a vital forensic necessity required to uncover the mechanical, structural, or regulatory failures that sent the vessel down:
- Forensic Integrity: George stressed that any salvage operation must be executed by certified marine salvage firms with demonstrated capacity to raise and float the hull without destroying structural evidence.
- Risk of Evidence Loss: With 60 days having elapsed under harsh tidal conditions, George voiced grave fears that water current scouring, corrosion, and sediment buildup are actively degrading key physical clues.
- Call for Urgency: The activist called on executive authorities to end administrative delays and proceed with maximum transparency.
“What we need to have is that the boat to be raised and floated as much as possible with the evidence intact,” George stated on the picket line. “Guyana should just really outsource professionals and companies that are experts in floating boats in the case of the Barima, where the evidence is secured as possible.”
“The families deserve justice, the families deserve truth and accountability,” she added. “We don’t see the commitment coming from the government at all, not the way it has been handled.”
Expired Tenders and Opposition Scrutiny
The demonstration coincided with pointed political challenges from the parliamentary opposition regarding delays in project execution:
- Expired EOI Deadline: The formal Expression of Interest (EOI) period issued by the government to solicit salvage contractors expired on August 14, 2026. More than a month after bids closed, the state has yet to announce the winning bidder or an operational commencement date.
- Parliamentary Accountability: Shadow Minister for Home Affairs and Member of Parliament Sherod Duncan criticized the administration for promising that substantive recovery operations would commence in early September, while keeping the execution schedule shielded from public oversight.
- Demands for Clear Dates: Duncan insisted that the public is entitled to verified facts, demanding that authorities formally publish the contract awardee, disclose the salvage operational plan, and provide the exact commencement date for the official Commission of Inquiry (CoI) hearings.
‘$122M Payout Cannot Replace Truth’
George also pushed back against the administration’s financial relief narrative, emphasizing that state payouts cannot substitute for legal accountability or psychological closure:
- The $122M Relief Package: Following the sinking, the government disbursed approximately $122 million (GYD) in direct emergency relief and burial support to the bereaved families.
- Obligation vs. Benefit: George rejected any framing of the funds as exceptional benevolence, maintaining that the state was legally and morally obligated to defray funeral and logistical costs for a tragedy that occurred under state maritime supervision.
“If the President wants to calculate the amount of monies that went towards paying for funerals, that is not a benefit to the families—the government is obligated to uncover those costs,” George said.
With families across Region One (Barima-Waini) and Georgetown still waiting for closure, civil society groups affirmed that demonstrations outside government offices will persist until international marine salvage teams are mobilized to raise the MV Barima.
