A coalition of Guyanese civil society organisations is challenging the Government’s award of a $1.034 billion contract to BK International Inc. to salvage the sunken MV Barima, alleging that none of the three bidders met the stated experience requirements and warning that the recovery could compromise evidence needed to determine the cause of the July 18 disaster.
At a press conference on Wednesday, the coalition demanded that the government immediately source a specialist salvage company capable of recovering the vessel while preserving potential forensic evidence.
The groups include the Guyana Trades Union Congress (GTUC), Amerindian Peoples Association (APA), Transparency International Guyana Inc. (TIGI), Red Thread, the Guyanese Organisation of Indigenous Peoples (GOIP) and the Oil and Gas Governance Network (OGGN), among other civil society actors.
The coalition said three companies submitted bids to the Maritime Administration Department (MARAD) under National Procurement and Tender Administration Board reference number 211/2026/34. It alleged that none met MARAD’s stated requirement for five to 10 years of proven marine salvage experience in Guyanese or wider Caribbean waters under challenging conditions involving strong currents and zero visibility.
The groups further argued that none of the bidders specialised in forensic salvage, which requires recovering a wreck while protecting evidence that could establish how and why it sank.
“Most salvage only has to get the wreck up. Forensic salvage has to get it up without destroying the evidence of why it sank,” the coalition stated.
BK International was awarded the contract after submitting the lowest offer of $1.034 billion. The company operates in sea defence, civil construction and marine transport.
The coalition questioned the company’s salvage experience, pointing to the sinking of its barge, the Darren B, in the Demerara River in November 2014. The vessel remained abandoned as a navigational hazard until the state intervened.
The groups noted that Koole Contractors, a specialised Dutch salvage firm that also tendered for the MV Barima recovery, was contracted through MARAD in September 2021 to remove the Darren B and two other wrecks.
However, the coalition acknowledged that the earlier operation did not require forensic salvage.
The organisations did not include independent documentation establishing that the three bidders formally failed the tender requirements or explaining how their qualifications were assessed. MARAD and the relevant procurement authorities should clarify the evaluation process and the basis for the award.
Call For Independent Investigation
The coalition said recovering the MV Barima must be treated as an evidence-preservation exercise, not simply a wreck-removal operation.
It identified naval architects, salvage engineers, subsea specialists, remotely operated vehicle operators, forensic investigators and evidence-handling experts as important to a recovery designed to support an investigation.
The groups also listed international salvage companies they believe may possess relevant expertise, including SMIT Salvage, Resolve Marine, Ardent, Donjon Marine and Shanghai Salvage Bureau. They cautioned that each company’s current capabilities and ownership should be verified.
Beyond the contract, the coalition demanded an independent technical marine safety investigation, arguing that a Commission of Inquiry (COI) cannot substitute for a dedicated marine casualty investigation.
It called on Guyana to give due consideration to its obligations as a member of the International Maritime Organization and a signatory to the International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS), alongside the relevant provisions of the Shipping Act.
Government Under Pressure
The MV Barima sank on July 18, prompting a major search-and-rescue operation and leaving families demanding answers about the circumstances surrounding the disaster.
The coalition argued that the recovery must give investigators the best possible opportunity to establish what happened and preserve evidence potentially relevant to the commission and any other proceedings.
The government has not, in the material provided by the coalition, responded to the specific allegations about the bidders’ qualifications.
The groups want the salvage arrangements reconsidered before the vessel is raised, warning that damage caused during recovery could make it harder to reconstruct the circumstances of the sinking.
The issue confronting authorities is whether the recovery plan will prioritise lifting the wreck—or preserving the evidence needed to explain why the MV Barima went down.
