Guyana disaster highlights ‘negligence, not flaw’ in regional ferry plan

A deadly maritime disaster in Guyana has exposed “gross negligence” rather than any inherent flaw in CARICOM’s proposed ferry service, economist Jeremy Stephen has said, renewing urgent calls for stricter safety enforcement across the region.

Stephen cautioned against conflating the unique circumstances on the Essequibo River with the operational realities of a modern intra-regional sea bridge.

He emphasised that the disaster serves as a stark reminder for CARICOM to enforce rigorous maritime standards, even if the technical variables differ vastly from open-ocean transit.

Late on Saturday, the Guyanese government ferry MV Barima capsized while journeying from the capital, Georgetown, to the inland village of Port Kaituma in the Essequibo region.

The vessel, which was carrying 133 passengers and crew members, reportedly ran into trouble near the Pomeroon River, with early findings suggesting a large wave or tidal conditions flipped the boat. 

Massive search and rescue operations involving state, private, and energy sector vessels successfully rescued 67 survivors, including 15 children. 

So far ten deaths have been confirmed as bodies were recovered from the water, while 66 people remain missing. 

The ongoing investigation is exploring institutional failures and potential crew negligence, as the ferry’s captain and another crew member subsequently tested positive for marijuana.

“The case in Guyana comes down to gross negligence, regardless of the technology or the type of infrastructure available,” Stephen said. “They’re still estimating, it seems, more people than originally on the manifest. So it comes down to gross negligence, and that could happen with any ship or any type of condition.”

The economist, who is also an aviation consultant and pilot, compared the maritime failure to aviation protocols, noting that basic adherence to weight, balance and sobriety is universal across all forms of transport:

“You pack the aircraft too heavy, you get choppy or turbulent air pockets, the wings could fly off of any aircraft. So you always need to maintain adherence to weight and balance. You shouldn’t fly intoxicated; it causes your decision-making abilities to go out the window.”

While acknowledging that the waters of the Essequibo River are notoriously choppy and dangerous even on a good day, Stephen clarified that the incident reinforces his existing reservations about the regional ferry proposal “only very, very, very slightly”. He maintained that the conditions of the Guyanese disaster were completely different from the challenges facing the Trinidad, Guyana and Barbados sea bridge initiative.

“The vessel was very old. The vessel was very, very, very crowded,” Stephen remarked, contrasting it with the younger roll-on/roll-off passenger (Ro-Pax) ferries utilised by countries such as Trinidad and Tobago, which are far better suited for modern operations.

Describing the loss of life in Guyana as “worse than a hurricane” due to the sheer scale of the preventable tragedy, Stephen insisted that CARICOM’s primary takeaway must be the absolute mandate for operational discipline. He noted that category 5 hurricanes in the Caribbean rarely claim as many lives in a single event, making this a “disaster of national proportions” with urgent lessons for regional marine craft operations.

Beyond the issue of regulatory oversight, Stephen raised long-standing concerns regarding the sustainability of the proposed three-state ferry service, pointing to climate change and financing as the true hurdles. He argued that adverse weather events have worsened significantly, rendering historical maritime data obsolete.

“I expect that passenger comfort now varies significantly to 50 years ago,” Stephen explained. “Wind speeds this high, this late into the summer—typically wind speeds are supposed to pick up in November and peter out by April or May. You don’t get wind speeds that we’re getting now in the summer.”

According to the consultant, random and unpredictable thunderstorms developing between Barbados and St Vincent present an unquantifiable risk to passenger comfort and operational reliability. “They never can forecast the path of it properly. They never can forecast the intensity of those thunderstorms properly.”

But Stephen expressed scepticism that regional governments could secure the financing required to acquire newer, technologically advanced Ro-Pax vessels capable of mitigating these rough sea conditions. This financial constraint, he believes, will likely force the operation to rely on older, less ideal ships.

Analysing the proposed routes, Stephen highlighted the geographic challenges peculiar to Barbados, stating that any route heading towards the island would face severe open-ocean swells and punishing headwinds.

“Anything coming towards Barbados… it ain’t easy. It is not easy,” Stephen warned, adding that experienced sailors and fishermen routinely avoid direct routes from the southern islands due to the immense discomfort and strain. “Anything that comes between Barbados and the Eastern Caribbean is going to be challenging. Anything that leaves Barbados going to the Eastern Caribbean is not going to be nearly as challenging.”

While noting that a route from Trinidad to Barbados might be “comparatively comfortable” due to favourable crosswinds or tailwinds, Stephen suggested that the open ocean remains a formidable barrier. For CARICOM to successfully manage its regional transport ambitions without courting disaster, he stressed that the region must confront the dual realities of strict regulatory enforcement and shifting global climate. 

(RR)