Relatives of victims of the MV Barima tragedy say they have received no updates on plans to salvage the vessel, two weeks after BK International was awarded a $1.034 billion contract to recover the wreck.
The families say they remain without any information about the operation, with the vessel still lying underwater more than three months after the July 18 disaster that claimed 73 lives and left relatives desperately seeking answers and the remains of missing loved ones.
Jasmin Cort, whose father and uncle, Neil and Kenrick Cort, remain missing following the disaster, said she had received no further information since the meeting between relatives and the Commission of Inquiry (CoI) when a commissioner, apparently unwittingly, disclosed the name of the contractor that was chosen.
“We have heard nothing else since the meeting with the commissioners; timeline, milestones, expectations, nothing,” Cort told Kiskadee Watch yesterday.
She questioned why there was still no clear plan for the salvage operation, despite the passage of more than three months since the tragedy. “I personally believe it is a stalling tactic; they’ve constantly said we should not rush the process but it is over three months and there is no clear plan,” she said.
Cort said the continued uncertainty was taking an emotional toll on families, who were still waiting for the recovery of the vessel and the possibility of retrieving their missing relatives.
“Persons are stuck in limbo reliving July 18 while they give us nothing,” she expressed.
She also pointed out the impact of prolonged delays on evidence that could be recovered from the vessel, alleging that the slow pace of the process was raising questions about whether the wreck would remain in a condition suitable for examination. “From an outsider looking in, they are delaying the salvage efforts in hopes that evidence deteriorates,” Cort said.
She believes that the vessel is critical not only to the inquiry into the circumstances surrounding the sinking but also to families seeking to lay their loved ones to rest. “We were not able to put their bodies to rest and it hurts to know we may never be able to. It hurts to know that we have a government that simply does not care,” she said.
Royston Frank, whose son Rawle Frank died in the tragedy, said he was frustrated by the continued delay and felt that the tragedy was not being treated with the urgency it deserved.
“Why the boat can’t raise? Today (yesterday) makes 105 days and the boat cannot raise. I counting all of the days everyday,” he said.
Frank said he did not want to be forced to protest to get answers, noting that he had other responsibilities and received no assistance to ease the burden caused by the loss of his son. “It’s not my heart’s desire to go out and protest. I have things to do. No one gives me anything. This is totally unfair,” he said.
He also accused the government of creating distractions from the tragedy, noting that the families’ demands for the vessel to be recovered continued to go unanswered. “Is sheer poor people’s lives were lost and that’s why it is not taken serious,” Frank said.
Just recently, a visit by Kiskadee Watch to BK International’s office at Ogle, East Coast Demerara, failed to yield answers about when the salvage operation would begin or the technical arrangements for raising the vessel.
BK International has yet to publicly clarify its proposed timeline, the equipment it intends to deploy or details about the technical expertise and personnel that would be involved in the operation.
The contract was awarded on October 6, according to the National Procurement and Tender Administration Board’s published record. The $1.034 billion award was made under a “no cure, no pay” arrangement for salvaging the wreck off Devonshire Castle Flats, Essequibo Coast.
However, the published award record did not specify a mobilisation or recovery deadline, nor did it provide the detailed contract conditions, approved salvage method or criteria for determining successful completion.
BK International submitted the lowest of three bids received for the operation. Industrial Fabrication Inc. submitted a bid of $1.895 billion, while Netherlands-based KMS B.V. submitted a bid of $2.0351 billion.
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