Marine Superintendent admits MV Barima had flaws

(Kaieteur News) – Revelations before the Presidential Commission of Inquiry into the July 18, 2026 MV Barima maritime disaster reached an eyebrow-raising peak on Tuesday as Marine Superintendent Bailey conceded under hours of questioning that the ill-fated vessel was unsafe to operate, detailing that the boat lacked safety gear among other deficiencies.

Testifying before the panel of commissioners at the Arthur Chung Conference Centre, including Chairperson Godfrey Smith, Commissioner Nyree Alphonso, Commissioner Jasionowski, and Captain Hamada Fouda, Bailey was forced to account for a three-page inspection report he produced in November 2025 after examining the vessel.

The inquiry dissected the findings line by line, exposing a vessel riddled with critical defects that was nevertheless permitted to return to passenger service without verification that a single hazard had been rectified.