Belize’s Godfrey Smith to Lead Inquiry into Guyana’s Ferry Disaster

Guyana’s President Irfaan Ali today named the members of the Commission of Inquiry into the MV Barima disaster, with Belizean Godfrey Philip Smith set to chair the panel.

Smith currently serves as CARICOM High Level Representative for Law and Criminal Justice and as an ad hoc justice of the Eastern Caribbean Court of Appeal. He will lead a five-member commission that also includes Polish naval architect and marine engineer Dr Andrzej Jasionowski, Jamaican maritime surveyor Captain Hamada Fouda, Trinidadian admiralty lawyer Nyree Dawn Alfonso, and retired Trinidadian Rear Admiral Hayden Pritchard.

Ali said the commission’s mandate covers nearly every aspect of the disaster, from the vessel’s loading and passenger boarding to the capsizing itself.

“The terms of reference of the Commission of Inquiry will be establishing the full circumstances surrounding the tragedy, including the causes and all other factors relating to the loading of the vessel, the boarding of passengers, conditions on board, the capsizing and sinking of the MV Barima, and any other related matters,” he said.

The commission will also review the search, rescue and recovery response, assess whether ferry regulations were followed, and determine if negligence or misconduct by any individual or institution contributed to the disaster. Its scope extends to the vessel’s maintenance history and seaworthiness, weather and sea conditions at the time, and the training and conduct of the ferry’s master and crew. Investigators will also examine passenger manifest practices, possible overcrowding, and the availability of life-saving equipment on board.

The MV Barima capsized on Saturday, July 19th while travelling from Georgetown to Port Kaituma. Guyanese authorities later revealed the ferry had been carrying far more passengers than initially reported, while the captain and another crew member were taken into custody after testing positive for marijuana.