“The Engine Was Cutting Out, and the Boat Was Overloaded”

By Antonio Dey | HGP Nightly News|

GEORGETOWN, GUYANA — An irate survivor of the state-operated M.V. Barima disaster has lashed out at the Ministry of Public Works and shipboard officials, describing how warnings regarding severe overloading and engine failure were ignored prior to the 87-year-old ferry capsizing off the Essequibo Coast.

The survivor, Ron Bovell, emotionally recounted losing six family members from Port Kaituma in the catastrophe—including his father, two sisters, two nephews, and a niece. Bovell stated that passengers confronted the vessel’s captain before departure about the dangerous load conditions and engine stalls, but claims their pleas were dismissed.

Harrowing Survivor Account Exposes Operational Deficits

Bovell directly refuted official statements regarding the vessel’s condition, emphasizing that mechanical issues were evident prior to the fatal capsizing:

“Mr. Edghill, you was not on the ferry when the boat engine de cutting out and the boat was overload!” Bovell stated. “When we gone and tell the captain, he seh the boat gotta go just suh. I lost six of my family from Port Kaituma pon that ferry—my father, two sister, two nephew, one niece! The boat old and the engine cut out!”

                       [ SURVIVOR TESTIMONY VS. STATE STATEMENTS ]
                                             │
       ┌─────────────────────────────────────┴─────────────────────────────────────┐
       ▼                                                                           ▼
 [ Eyewitness / Survivor Testimony (Ron Bovell) ]                 [ Early Executive Declarations ]
 - Engine repeatedly stalled prior to capsizing                   - Claims of no mechanical failure
 - Visible, severe overloading reported to captain                - Claims load line was within limits
 - Lost 6 immediate family members from Port Kaituma              - Dismissed overbooking allegations

Opposition Parliamentarians Condemn Inaccurate Manifests and “Callous” Executive Response

The harrowing eyewitness account has further fueled joint opposition demands for Public Works Minister Juan Edghill and officials from the Maritime Administration Department (MARAD) to step down immediately.

Speaking at a joint opposition press briefing, We Invest in Nationhood (WIN) Member of Parliament Dawn Hastings-Williams highlighted that inaccurate passenger manifests severely hindered initial rescue operations:

“Up to this time, we have not known exactly how many passengers boarded the M.V. Barima due to inaccurate information that we continue to receive from the authorities,” Hastings-Williams stated. “This is a clear indication that maritime rules were breached and not followed.”

Adding to the condemnation, Forward Guyana Member of Parliament Amanza Walton-Desir expressed disgust at the administration’s refusal to relieve Minister Edghill of his duties during an ongoing crisis:

“The government is still callous enough to have him sitting at press conferences and in the faces of the Guyanese people,” Walton-Desir stated. “It is unconscionable. It clearly says this government doesn’t care about how traumatized we are.”

With survivors’ first-hand accounts directly contradicting early official statements, pressure continues to mount for an independent, international Commission of Inquiry into Guyana’s worst maritime tragedy in recent memory.