President Dr. Irfaan Ali says authorities may be forced to carry out a full salvage of the sunken MV Barima if divers are unable to gain access to the vessel, while emphasizing that every effort is being made to prevent such a step.
Speaking with relatives of those still unaccounted for on Thursday evening, the President provided an update on the ongoing recovery operation, explaining that specialist divers spent the day attempting to reposition the wreck but encountered several challenges.
According to President Ali, some divers became ill during Thursday’s mission and had to surface, while others remained below to continue the operation.
He said crews will continue working through the night in an effort to shift the vessel enough to allow divers to safely enter its interior.
“If we don’t get the type of movement that we want with the boat, the divers were able to do enough work to go back tomorrow to try to go into the vessel and try to release as much as they can release,” he told the families.
Dive operations are expected to resume from 5:30 a.m. today, with officials expected to provide further updates as the recovery mission continues.
The President warned, however, that if divers remain unable to access the vessel, a full salvage operation may become unavoidable.
“The only option after that, which we don’t want to get to—we’re trying to avoid as far as possible—is to try for a full salvage of the vessel,” he said.
President Ali noted that such an operation presents significant challenges, including the possibility of disturbing whatever remains inside the wreck, and stressed that it would only be considered as a last resort.
“That has the challenge of disrupting whatever is there, but we are hopeful that we don’t get to that. If we get to that, all of us together will have to make a decision as the best option,” President Ali said.
Despite the obstacles faced during Thursday’s operation, the Head of State said the progress made in repositioning the vessel has raised hopes that additional bodies or debris trapped inside could surface.
“The Coast Guard is staying out there. They have created a network out there to try to retrieve anything that comes to the surface if that is the case,” he added.
President Ali assured relatives that the Government remains committed to exhausting every available option in the search and recovery effort before resorting to alternative measures.
The MV Barima capsized on the night of Saturday, July 18, while travelling from Georgetown to Port Kaituma in Region One. A distress call received at approximately 11:01 p.m. sparked one of the largest maritime search and rescue operations ever mounted in Guyana, involving the Guyana Defence Force Coast Guard, local agencies, private vessels, international partners, and specialist dive teams from France, Brazil, and Trinidad and Tobago.
Authorities have confirmed that 179 passengers and crew members were aboard the vessel when it sank.
As of the latest official update, 76 people have been rescued, while 72 bodies have been recovered. Of those, 65 have been positively identified by relatives.
