HGP Nightly News – The Government of Guyana carried the financial risk for the MV Barima because the state-owned ferry was not insured when it capsized, Public Works Minister Juan Edghill confirmed on Tuesday.
Speaking during a government press briefing on the disaster, Edghill said it has long been the practice for state-owned vessels to operate without commercial insurance. Under that arrangement, the government assumes responsibility for losses and any compensation arising from an incident.
The disclosure means the cost of replacing the MV Barima, covering lost government cargo and meeting any compensation obligations could fall directly on the state and ultimately taxpayers.
Officials did not say whether the government maintains a dedicated fund or formal self-insurance mechanism for maritime accidents. It also remains unclear what compensation may be available to survivors and the families of those who died.
At the same briefing, Prime Minister Brigadier (Ret’d) Mark Phillips acknowledged a separate failure involving the vessel’s passenger records.
Numerous rescued passengers were not listed on the official manifest, making it difficult for authorities to establish how many people were actually aboard or how many remained missing during the critical early stages of the search.
Phillips described the discrepancy as “a breakdown in the system” and said it would be examined by the Commission of Inquiry.
The inquiry is expected to determine how passengers boarded without being properly recorded, identify those responsible and recommend disciplinary action and changes to the existing procedures.
Officials had previously disclosed that passengers purchasing tickets in person were not required to present identification. Although the Transport and Harbours Department had begun testing equipment capable of scanning national identification and driver’s licence cards, the system had not been fully introduced before the tragedy.
Investigators will now have to determine whether the manifest failures resulted from weak controls, negligence, deliberate misconduct or some combination of the three.
As of 6 p.m. Tuesday, the government said 53 bodies had been recovered and 76 survivors verified.
Recovery operations intensified after the wreck was located, while additional support from Trinidad and Tobago and Brazil was expected to reinforce the teams already deployed.
Phillips said the search, rescue and recovery effort would continue as authorities worked to account for everyone believed to have travelled aboard the vessel.
