The Guyana Trades Union Congress (GTUC) has issued a forceful call for an independent Commission of Inquiry into the catastrophic sinking of the MV Barima off the Essequibo coast on the evening of Saturday, July 18, 2026, warning that the tragedy was not merely an accident but the foreseeable result of systemic neglect, regulatory failure, and political defensiveness that must not be swept under the carpet.

The organisation contends that the vessel had been operating in dangerous conditions for some time, with crew members and passengers reportedly forced to bail water during voyages and the engine suffering recurring mechanical failures, raising grave questions about how a state-operated ferry was permitted to carry human lives across treacherous waters in such a compromised state. The concerns and recommendations were contained in a statement issued by the GTUC, Tuesday.

The scale of the disaster is staggering. The MV Barima, an 87-year-old ferry built in 1939, was travelling from Georgetown to Port Kaituma when it capsised. Although the ship’s manifest listed only 116 passengers and 17 crew members, authorities now believe as many as 179 people were aboard the vessel, a discrepancy that points to decades of illegal overloading practices at state-run ferry terminals where ticket clerks have long been accused of selling seats off the books for cash.