00:00The two locals, Attorney-at-law Nairi Alfonso, known for her work in maritime law, and retired
00:06Rear Admiral Hayden Prachad, a former Chief of Defense Staff of the T&T Defense Force,
00:12are among the five commissioners named to investigate the MV Barima disaster.
00:16The commission is chaired by Justice Godfrey Philip Smith of Belize, CARICOM's high-level
00:22representative on law and criminal justice. The remaining two members are Captain Hamada
00:28Fowder, a maritime surveyor with the Maritime Authority of Jamaica, and Dr. Andrzej Yashinovski
00:35of Poland, a forensic naval architect and marine engineer. The five-member panel was announced
00:42by Guyana's president, Dr. Irfan Ali, on Sunday. TV6 News reached out to the former CDS concerning
00:48his appointment under commission. Prachad, who will be making his way to the CARICOM country
00:53on Monday, tells us members of the commission are awaiting their terms of reference.
00:58This will provide specifics into the scope and goals of the inquiry.
01:02The MV Barima, an aging vessel that had served the Georgetown to Port Kaituma route for decades,
01:10capsized on July 18th after reportedly issuing a distress signal. Authorities believe close
01:16to 180 passengers were on board, 76 people were rescued, and 72 bodies were recovered. Others are still
01:25unaccounted for, and investigators are also probing discrepancies in the vessel's passenger manifest.
01:32President Ali says the commission will examine the full circumstances of the tragedy,
01:36from the loading of the vessel and the boarding of passengers, to conditions on board and the
01:42capsizing itself, along with the adequacy of the search and rescue response. The panel will also
01:49determine whether negligence, misconduct, or regulatory failures contributed to the disaster.
01:55They are also expected to recommend reforms to strengthen maritime safety across the region.
02:01The sinking of the MV Barima is considered one of the deadliest maritime disasters in Guyana's history.
02:09Alicia Boucher, TV6 News.
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