Relatives of victims of the MV Barima disaster gathered again outside the Office of the President (OP) yesterday, demanding answers from the Government on the status of efforts to recover the MV Barima and calling for justice for their loved ones.
The families began protesting from around 10 a.m., according to Tianie Thomas, the sister of victims Kyle and Brian Thomas.
Thomas told Kiskadee Watch that the families had become increasingly frustrated by a lack of communication from the authorities more than seven weeks after the July 18 disaster.
“We ain’t hearing nothing; like everything gone silent,” Thomas expressed, explaining that the families decided to protest because they want to know when the vessel will be brought to the surface.
“We want to know when the boat will float. We need justice for our loved ones. We need answers. It’s been a month and couple of days already,” she said.
Thomas said neither she nor other affected families had received recent updates on the progress of the salvage operation. “No one called and told us anything,” she said.
The government had announced that it will select a specialist contractor to salvage the vessel. But to date, no further information or updates have been provided.
The passenger and cargo vessel sank on July 18 while travelling from Georgetown to Port Kaituma, Region One, in the country’s deadliest maritime disaster. Seventy-six people were rescued, while 73 bodies were recovered during the search and recovery operation. The active search and recovery phase was subsequently brought to an end, although five of the recovered bodies remained unidentified. Authorities have also said about 30 people remain unaccounted for.
The wreck, which lies in approximately 13 to 15 metres of water, has become a key part of efforts to establish exactly what happened on the night of the disaster. The Maritime Administration Department (MARAD), through the Ministry of Public Utilities and Aviation, invited specialised marine salvage companies to submit Expressions of Interest for the recovery of the vessel. The August 14 deadline has passed, with the Government saying several companies were shortlisted and would subsequently be invited to submit financial proposals.
President Irfaan Ali said in August that more than 10 expressions of interest were believed to have been received. He said the companies would first be assessed against established criteria before the shortlisted firms submitted financial proposals.
However, the lack of a publicly announced salvage contractor has continued to fuel frustration among relatives and other members of the public.
Earlier this month, Preston John, whose brother Oxwell John died in the tragedy, staged a one-man protest outside the Office of the President with a placard reading “Float the boat.” John said he wanted the vessel recovered both to retrieve belongings and to obtain further information about the circumstances surrounding his brother’s death.
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