(Kaieteur News) – One week after the MV Barima capsized en route to Region One leaving 73 dead and at least 30 still missing, President Irfaan Ali has named a five-member Commission of Inquiry (COI) to investigate the circumstances surrounding the capsizing and sinking of the vessel.

In a video statement on Sunday, the head-of-state named Justice Godfrey Phillip Smith of Belize to serve as chair of the COI. Smith previously served as a member of the COI team that investigated the 2nd March, 2020 general elections. He serves as a CARICOM High-Level Representative for Law and Criminal Justice and an Ad-Hoc Justice of the Eastern Caribbean Court of Appeal.

Other members are: Dr. Andrzej Jasionowski of Poland, Naval Architect and Marine Engineer, who has advised on investigations into several major maritime disasters; Captain Hamada Fouda, Senior Maritime Surveyor and Compliance Auditor with the Maritime Authority of Jamaica; Nyree Dawn Alfonso of Trinidad and Tobago, attorney with expertise in Admirality and Maritime Law and Rear Admiral (Ret’d) Hayden A. Pritchard of Trinidad and Tobago, a distinguished professional with decades of experience in maritime operations and maritime security.