Thirty-seven days after the Government’s Expressions of Interest process for the salvage of the MV Barima closed, Opposition Member of Parliament Ganesh Mahipaul is demanding answers on when a contractor will be selected and when the vessel will be brought to the surface.
The EOI process closed on August 14, but Mahipaul said yesterday that the Government has still not publicly identified the company that will undertake the salvage operation or provided a clear date for mobilisation.
Three companies have submitted financial bids for the salvage operation on September 8, according to a National Procurement and Tender Administration Board record. BK International Inc. submitted the lowest bid of approximately $1.034 billion, while Industrial Fabrication Inc. submitted a bid of $1.895 billion and Netherlands-based KMS B.V. submitted $2.0351 billion. The bids were submitted under a “no cure, no pay” arrangement.
The bids must still be evaluated, and the lowest price does not automatically determine the successful contractor. The assessment is expected to consider the bidders’ technical capacity, proposed salvage method and their ability to preserve evidence for the Commission of Inquiry.
Mahipaul is now questioning how long the process will take, particularly with the vessel still lying underwater. “Thirty-seven days since August 14, 2026, when the Expressions of Interest process for the salvage of the MV Barima closed and the people of Guyana are still waiting for a contractor to be awarded the job,” he said.
He is demanding that the Government disclose how many companies initially submitted EOIs, how many were shortlisted, how many submitted financial proposals and whether a contractor has already been selected. He is also asking when the contract will be awarded, when the successful company will mobilise and when the salvage operation will actually begin.
President Irfaan Ali had said approximately 10 or more companies had submitted EOIs, but the Government had not identified those companies or disclosed how many had been shortlisted. The three companies that ultimately reached the financial-bid stage were subsequently identified when their bids were opened publicly on September 8.
Mahipaul is also asking what measures are being taken to protect evidence while the vessel remains underwater.
The MV Barima sank on July 18 while travelling from Georgetown to Port Kaituma; 76 people were rescued and 73 deaths were confirmed, with approximately 30 people still unaccounted for.
The continued wait for the vessel to be recovered has prompted protests from relatives of victims. Just last week, members of the Thomas family and other relatives gathered outside the Office of the President demanding information about when the vessel would be recovered.
One relative, Preston John, had earlier staged a one-man protest outside the Office of the President calling for the vessel to be floated, saying he wanted to retrieve belongings and obtain further information about the circumstances surrounding his brother’s death.
Mahipaul said the Government should publicly explain the status of the procurement process rather than leave families and the public without a clear timeline. “If there is a problem with the procurement process, tell us. If the evaluation is incomplete, tell us. If negotiations are taking place, tell us. If a contractor has been selected, tell us,” he said.
Mahipaul noted that the delay extends beyond procurement, saying the families of those who died deserve answers and that evidence connected to the tragedy should be preserved.
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