MV Barima salvage bids under review as inquiry requires evidence safeguards
President Irfaan Ali said three salvage proposals are undergoing technical evaluation. The August tender asked bidders to explain how they would protect and document forensic evidence for the Commission of Inquiry, which reported a preliminary site survey on September 2. Guyana Times reported 76 survivors, 73 confirmed deaths and 30 people still unaccounted for after the July 18 sinking.
The salvage process is tied to the inquiry’s evidence needs: Guyana Times reported that the Maritime Administration Department’s August tender asked bidders to set out how they would protect and document forensic evidence for the Commission of Inquiry into the MV Barima sinking. On September 2, the Commission said it had made a preliminary in-person survey of the accident site and identified the Arthur Chung Conference Centre as a venue for public hearings; the report gave no hearing date.
The vessel sank off the Essequibo Coast on July 18 with 179 people aboard. Guyana Times reported that 76 survived, 73 were confirmed dead and 30 remained unaccounted for. The Commission was appointed on July 30 to examine the circumstances of the sinking, regulatory oversight and the emergency response.
In a later statement to members of the diaspora, President Dr Irfaan Ali said the three bids were being technically evaluated and that a company had not yet been selected. The proposed costs were $1,895,000,000 from Industrial Fabrication Inc., $1,034,000,000 from BK International Inc. and $2,035,100,000 from KMS BV. The procurement review is therefore still underway, while the Commission has begun preliminary site work and is seeking information for its investigation.