GDF lost 20 minutes verifying MV Barima distress signal; sea conditions not considered in searches

(Kaieteur News) – Crucial minutes were spent verifying the initial distress signal following the capsizing of the MV Barima, while subsequent aerial search operations were conducted without factoring in tides, currents or wave action, the Presidential Commission of Inquiry (COI) into the tragedy heard.

Pilot Lieutenant Colonel Kevin Langevine and Flight Operations Officer Captain Simon Gordon of the Guyana Defence Force Air Corps detailed the initial operational confusion, communication channels, and technical constraints surrounding the July 18 tragedy, during examination at the Department of Public Service building in Georgetown. Log sheets submitted to the commission showed that military personnel spent approximately 20 minutes confirming that the initial distress signal was authentic before dispatching air assets to the area.

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Captain Gordon explained under oath that verification protocols are standard practice due to recurring false alarms and electronic “spoofs” that have previously sent search crews toward conflicting locations.