A deadly maritime disaster in Guyana has exposed “gross negligence” rather than any inherent flaw in CARICOM’s proposed ferry service, economist Jeremy Stephen has said, renewing urgent calls for stricter safety enforcement across the region.

Stephen cautioned against conflating the unique circumstances on the Essequibo River with the operational realities of a modern intra-regional sea bridge.

He emphasised that the disaster serves as a stark reminder for CARICOM to enforce rigorous maritime standards, even if the technical variables differ vastly from open-ocean transit.