(Kaieteur News) – Government officials fielded pointed questions Tuesday about the capacity and mechanical condition of the MV Barima, which capsized and sank several miles off the Essequibo Coast on Saturday.

At a press conference Tuesday evening, Prime Minister Brigadier (Ret’d) Mark Phillips, Minister of Public Works Juan Edghill, and Maritime Administration head Stephen Thomas sought to dismiss reports that an engine or other heavy equipment had been loaded aboard before the vessel’s final voyage.

Journalist Gordon Moseley pressed officials on survivor accounts describing a large piece of equipment loaded during cargo operations, asking whether a generator or engine had been placed on board, and whether engineers had been present on the vessel’s last trip from Region One due to mechanical issues.