HGP NIGHTLY NEWS – The first distress alert from the MV Barima was received at 10:43 p.m. on July 18, but the Director responsible for Air Navigation Services at the Guyana Civil Aviation Authority says he did not learn of the emergency until around 1 a.m. the following morning.
Rickford Samaroo made the disclosure Wednesday while testifying before the Commission of Inquiry examining the deadly ferry disaster and the emergency response that followed.
Samaroo told the Commission that he became aware of the incident after receiving a call from the GCAA’s Director General.
He explained that staff were required to immediately notify him when distress alerts involving aircraft were received. However, no equivalent requirement existed for maritime vessels.
Samaroo said staff subsequently informed him that the Maritime Administration Department, Guyana Defence Force Coast Guard and lighthouse were notified within five minutes of the initial alert.
The Commission is now seeking documentation to examine exactly what happened between the first distress signal and the subsequent emergency response.
Samaroo was asked to provide operating procedures, an after-action report and communication records covering the period from the first alert through the afternoon of July 19.
The hearing also revealed that the MV Barima’s emergency beacon was not registered.
Samaroo explained that registration would have linked the beacon’s unique identification code to critical information, including the vessel, its ownership and emergency contacts. That information was therefore not attached to the beacon through the registration system when the distress signal was received.
Meanwhile, retired Acting Chancellor Carl Singh announced at the opening of Wednesday’s proceedings that he would represent Public Works Minister Bishop Juan Edghill before the Commission.
The Commission is examining the circumstances surrounding the MV Barima disaster, including the handling of distress alerts and the wider emergency response.
The inquiry continues.
