As pressure mounts on the Government over its handling of the MV Barima disaster, calls are growing for President Irfaan Ali’s administration to immediately secure the services of a specialised offshore construction vessel capable of raising the sunken ferry from the seabed and recovering the bodies of passengers still believed to be trapped inside.

The appeal comes amid concerns that the Government is preparing to abandon any effort to salvage the wreck, despite repeated pleas from grieving families who say raising the vessel is the only realistic way to recover their loved ones and uncover what caused one of Guyana’s deadliest maritime disasters.

The capsizing of the 87-year-old passenger and cargo ferry MV Barima off Guyana’s northwest coast on July 18, 2026, resulted in at least 73 recovered bodies and 76 verified survivors. Official estimates indicate that approximately 179 people were on board when the vessel went down while sailing from Georgetown to Port Kaituma, leaving a number of passengers still unaccounted for.