HGP Nightly News – A G$124.5 million government tender seeking extensive work on the MV Barima’s hull, propulsion and steering systems months before it capsized has prompted fresh questions about the vessel’s condition and whether the proposed repairs were ever completed.
The We Invest in Nationhood party has released a collection of procurement documents, together with its own analysis, and is calling for an independent investigation into the ferry’s maintenance, inspection and certification history.
The documents include a March 2026 invitation from the Ministry of Public Works, through the Transport and Harbours Department, for the docking and rehabilitation of the MV Barima. The engineer’s estimate was approximately G$124.5 million.
The scope reportedly covered work on the vessel’s hull plating and structural frames, propulsion and steering equipment, cargo hatch, seawater valves and other systems.
WIN contends that the range of proposed work indicates that significant structural and mechanical problems had been identified before the ferry was allowed to continue carrying passengers.
That is the party’s interpretation. A repair tender, even one containing extensive work, does not by itself prove that a vessel was unseaworthy. Dry-docking specifications commonly include inspections, maintenance and the replacement of components based on what contractors discover after a ship is taken out of the water.
The documents nevertheless raise questions that the government has not yet answered publicly: Was a contract awarded? Were any of the listed repairs performed? Did the MV Barima undergo the required inspections before its final voyage, and what certificates were issued?
WIN also wants authorities to disclose who authorised the vessel to remain in operation while the rehabilitation process was pending.
The party argues that deterioration involving the hull, internal framing, cargo-hatch structures, steering, propulsion or seawater valves could have affected the ferry’s stability or ability to withstand difficult conditions.
No official finding has connected any of the proposed repairs to the capsizing. WIN’s suggestion that the listed work may have contributed to the disaster has not been independently verified.
The March tender notice confirms that contractors were sought to dock and rehabilitate the MV Barima, along with the MV Ma Lisha and MB Hercules. It does not establish whether a contract for the Barima was ultimately awarded or whether the work was completed.
Five contractors later submitted bids for the three-vessel project. The amounts quoted for the MV Barima ranged from approximately G$105 million to G$124 million, according to procurement records.
The government had allocated G$570 million in the 2026 Budget for reconditioning ferry vessels as part of an overall G$11.2 billion river-transport programme.
The MV Barima continued operating between Georgetown and Port Kaituma until it capsized off the Essequibo Coast on Saturday night.
A multi-agency investigation is expected to examine the ferry’s loading and stability, passenger and cargo records, compliance with maritime requirements and the conduct of the captain, crew and shore-based personnel.
WIN says that inquiry should also obtain the vessel’s inspection reports, maintenance records, seaworthiness certificates, tender evaluations, contract-award documents and evidence of any repairs undertaken.
Until those records are released, the procurement documents establish only that extensive work was proposed. They do not establish the vessel’s condition on the night of the disaster or what caused it to capsize.
