The A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) on Friday demanded the immediate release of critical records relating to the MV Barima disaster, arguing that the Government is focusing public attention on allegations of drug use by crew members while withholding evidence that could explain why the state-owned ferry sank.
“The drug narrative must not distract from the truth,” the opposition coalition declared during a press conference, insisting that allegations against individual crew members do not answer the fundamental questions surrounding one of Guyana’s deadliest maritime disasters.
More than two weeks after the July 18 MV Barima tragedy, the wreck remains on the seabed, intensifying public outrage and raising further questions about the Government’s handling of the disaster. Families of the victims, maritime stakeholders and Opposition Leader Azruddin Mohamed have repeatedly called for the vessel to be recovered, arguing that it may contain crucial evidence needed to establish exactly what caused one of Guyana’s deadliest maritime disasters.
Mohamed has publicly offered to finance the recovery operation. After initially resisting calls to raise the ferry, the Government reversed its position on Saturday, issuing an Expression of Interest (EOI) for its salvage. The move has been sharply criticised by both Mohamed and A Partnership for National Unity (APNU), who contend that the delay has undermined public confidence in the investigation and may have compromised evidence vital to establishing the full truth behind the tragedy.
At least 53 people died when the ferry capsized while travelling from Georgetown to Port Kaituma. The Government has officially verified 76 survivors, while acknowledging that one body remains trapped inside the vessel.
APNU argued that instead of concentrating on unresolved questions surrounding the ferry’s seaworthiness, loading and maintenance, the Government has sought to shift the national conversation.
“Any credible evidence of impairment must be investigated,” the coalition said.
“However, a positive screening result does not answer the central questions: Was the vessel seaworthy? Were its safety and navigational systems functional? Was it overloaded or improperly loaded? Why were passengers’ names absent from the official manifest? Why did routine inspection fail? Why was an old, unseaworthy vessel still being used? Why was the replacement infrastructure incomplete and who is responsible? Was the emergency response prompt and adequate?”
According to APNU, the Government has failed to disclose evidence that could assist the public in understanding what happened aboard the ferry before it capsized.
The coalition demanded publication of:
- the complete cargo manifest and verified weight of every item;
- the identities of the ministries and agencies that owned the cargo;
- the vessel’s loading plan and stability calculations;
- maintenance reports and defect logs;
- inspection and seaworthiness certificates;
- terminal surveillance recordings;
- reports outlining alcohol and drug testing protocols over the years;
- communications between the crew, Transport and Harbours Department management and the Ministry of Public Works; and
- the names of every official who authorised loading and approved the vessel’s departure.
APNU also pointed to conflicting Government statements following the disaster.
It noted that Public Works Minister Juan Edghill initially maintained the ferry was operating within capacity before Government officials later acknowledged that the vessel was carrying significant government cargo and that normal inspection procedures may have broken down before departure.
“This makes Edghill not only a liar but culpable,” APNU asserted.
The coalition argued that survivor accounts describing overcrowding, water entering the vessel and the amount of cargo aboard raise “a serious possibility” that government cargo, its placement or its combined weight contributed to the ferry’s instability.
While stressing that it was not drawing technical conclusions before experts completed their work, APNU maintained that preserving evidence is essential.
“These documents must not be altered or destroyed,” it warned, while also calling on Edghill to disclose “how many captains were forced to leave or dismissed because they refused to sail an overloaded boat.”
The opposition said the Government’s handling of the disaster should concern every public servant.
“If employees can be charged with murder for deaths arising from failures within a government-controlled system—before an independent and impartial inquiry establishes the cause—then no public servant, driver, teacher, operator, doctor, nurse, engineer, technician or ordinary worker is safe when the State wishes to transfer blame.”
Describing the MV Barima disaster as a test of public accountability, APNU urged trade unions, professional bodies, civil society organisations and ordinary citizens to demand transparency and equal justice.
“The tragedy of the MV Barima must not be another political cover-up.”
