THE captain and two senior crew members of the MV Barima ferry who were on board the vessel before it capsized in the Atlantic weeks ago have been charged with murder and remanded to prison, as search and rescue operations to locate at least 30 people still missing at sea are under way.
ILL-FATED VESSEL: The MV Barima which capsized last weekend, resulting in dozens of deaths.
The Guyana Police Force yesterday indicated that 40-year-old captain Kevin Price, chief mate Rondell Dwayne Robert and goods superintendent Delon Granderson were charged with the offence of murder, contrary to common-law, in relation to the deaths of passengers who were on board the vessel.The men appeared yesterday before Guyanese Chief Magistrate Judy Latchman at the Georgetown Magistrates' Court. They were not required to plead and were remanded to prison. The matter was transferred to the Charity Magistrates' Court and adjourned to August 3.On July 18, the vessel, en route to Port Kaituma from the nation's capital in Georgetown, capsized in the waters off Essequibo. The ferry was believed to be carrying 179 people, though its official manifest showed only 133 on board, Guyanese officials earlier indicated. According to the Guyanese government, 77 people were rescued in the aftermath and at least 73 confirmed dead.The captain and a staff member rescued from the vessel, both reportedly tested positive for cannabis in the aftermath. On Sunday, Guyana's President, Dr Mohamed Irfaan Ali, announced the establishment of a five-member independent commission to conduct a Commission of Enquiry into the incident.The commission will be chaired by Justice Godfrey Phillip Smith of Belize and also includes maritime law specialist Nyree Alfonso and Rear Admiral (Ret'd) Hayden Pritchard, both of Trinidad and Tobago, Dr Andrzej Jasionowski of Poland and Captain Hamada Fouda of Jamaica.Smith currently serves as Caricom's High-Level Representative on Law and Criminal Justice and is also an ad hoc Justice of Appeal in the Eastern Caribbean. He previously served on Guyana's Presidential Commission of Enquiry into the 2020 General and Regional Elections.Alfonso practises in Admiralty and Maritime Law and has participated in several investigations involving fatalities at sea.Fouda is a senior maritime surveyor and compliance auditor with the Maritime Authority of Jamaica.Rear Admiral Pritchard is the former chief of defence staff of the Trinidad and Tobago Defence Force and brings decades of experience in maritime security and military operations, while Dr Jasionowski is an internationally recognised forensic naval architect and marine engineer who has advised on investigations into several major maritime incidents.Timeline
