A veteran Caribbean maritime expert has joined the growing chorus of voices questioning the decision to criminally charge three Transport and Harbours Department employees before the completion of the official investigation into the MV Barima disaster, warning that doing so risks undermining internationally accepted principles governing marine casualty investigations.

Captain Theophilus Bethel, a Grenadian Master Mariner, Marine Surveyor, Marine Accident and Incident Investigator, and Maritime Safety Consultant with more than 24 years of international maritime experience, issued the statement in response to a social media post by a Guyanese-American influencer who wrote: “I fully support the decision to charge the captain and crew of the MV Berima ferry. They had a duty of care to protect the passengers entrusted to them and to take every reasonable measure to ensure their safety.”

Bethel’s response drew more than 160 reactions and generated scores of comments, reflecting the increasingly polarised public debate over the prosecution.