HGP Nightly News – A routine molasses run from Berbice to Georgetown turned into a maritime emergency in the early hours of Tuesday morning.
The Maritime Administration Department received a distress signal around 1 a.m. concerning the sinking of the tanker barge TRADER III, approximately 9.5 nautical miles off the coast of Buxton, East Coast Demerara.
Two crew members are now missing.
The barge was transporting a cargo of molasses when it went down. What caused the vessel to sink remains unclear.
Emergency response operations were activated immediately. MARAD’s Emergency Operations Coordinator, Captain John Flores, is leading the search and rescue effort, supported by the Guyana Defence Force Coast Guard and the vessel owner.
