Internal maintenance records documenting repeated mechanical and electrical defects aboard the MV Barima months before its deadly July 18 sinking have raised fresh questions about whether known safety problems were properly addressed and whether workers were knowingly exposed to dangerous conditions.

The handwritten records, covering November 2025 through March 2026, identify an array of problems, including an out-of-service generator, overheating machinery, leaking engine exhaust, defective cooling equipment and electrical failures. Several repair requests were explicitly marked as urgent.

One November 30, 2025 report described the vessel’s Number One generator as “out of service” because its water pump was not functioning and needed repair or replacement. The report called for urgent attention.