Forward Guyana Movement (FGM) leader, attorney-at-law and the party’s lone Member of Parliament, Amanza Walton-Desir, is urging the Government of Guyana to launch a mandatory marine casualty investigation into the MV Barima disaster, warning that a Commission of Inquiry (COI) alone will not satisfy the country’s international legal obligations or uncover the technical failures that led to one of Guyana’s deadliest maritime tragedies.

Walton-Desir made the call during an appearance on Friday’s edition of the radio programme Keeping Up, hosted by Keane, where she argued that Guyana is legally obligated under international maritime conventions to carry out a specialized marine safety investigation following the sinking.

Her comments come as the human toll from the disaster continues to mount. As of the latest official update, 73 bodies have been recovered, 76 people have been rescued, and authorities estimate that 179 passengers and crew were aboard the 87-year-old MV Barima when it capsized off Guyana’s northwest coast on July 18, 2026, while travelling from Georgetown to Port Kaituma.