Local company, BK International has been selected to salvage the sunken MV Barima, Commissioner Dr Andrzej Jasionowski confirmed on Wednesday as the Commission of Inquiry (CoI) into the July tragedy formally began its work.
Dr Andrzej Jasionowski, a Polish naval architect and marine engineer and one of the five commissioners, made the disclosure while speaking to survivors, families of survivors and other affected persons following the Commission’s opening ceremony at the Arthur Chung Conference Centre.
He said preparations for the salvage operation are already underway, with the selected team working on equipment and operational plans aimed at recovering the vessel without compromising evidence that could assist the inquiry.
“They are preparing plans,” Jasionowski said, adding that he personally met with the salvage masters and engineers on Tuesday to discuss the operation.
He stressed that the recovery must be carefully managed because rushing the process could damage the wreck and destroy potentially important evidence.
He explained, “If you rush it, it’s very easy to break it, and once that happens, the recovery becomes a recovery of cut and scrap metal and whatever remains within.”
Jasionowski said the CoI would remain involved in the process to ensure that its terms of reference, particularly the preservation and recovery of evidence, are accommodated during the salvage operation.
He said the salvage team is expected to begin preparations over the coming days, with the operation potentially taking another one to two weeks before significant progress is made.
The Commission is also expected to receive daily reports on the work.
Asked to identify the company selected to conduct the salvage, Jasionowski confirmed that it is BK International.
BK International was one of three companies that submitted bids to the Maritime Administration Department for the recovery of the wreck.
BK International submitted the lowest bid of approximately $1.034 billion, followed by another local company, Industrial Fabrication Inc., with a bid of $1.895 billion, while Netherlands based KMS B.V. submitted a bid of $2.0351 billion.
The MV Barima, an 87 year old passenger and cargo vessel, capsized and sank off the Essequibo Coast on July 18 while travelling from Georgetown to Port Kaituma.
The disaster claimed 73 lives, while 76 people survived and approximately 30 remain unaccounted for.
The five member Commission, chaired by Justice Godfrey Phillip Smith of Belize, is expected to begin formal evidence taking on October 14.
