Survivors and bereaved families of the MV Barima disaster met members of the Commission of Inquiry in Port Kaituma on Tuesday, sharing their experiences and seeking answers ahead of the start of substantive hearings on Wednesday.
Thirty affected families and survivors attended the engagement at the Port Kaituma Community Centre, where the five commissioners explained the inquiry’s objectives, answered questions about its scope and encouraged those with firsthand knowledge of the tragedy to give evidence.
The commissioners assured survivors that they would make appropriate arrangements for those who choose to testify at the hearings in Georgetown.
Alongside questions about the investigation came deeply personal accounts of survival and loss.
Among those attending was Anndya Deally, who lost her 16-year-old son, Andriel Bautista, in the sinking.
Wearing a T-shirt bearing his photograph, she thanked the commissioners for visiting Port Kaituma, the destination the vessel never reached, and recounted her experience on the night of the disaster.
The state-owned passenger and cargo ferry sank on July 18 while travelling from Georgetown to Port Kaituma.
The tragedy left families mourning loved ones and survivors seeking answers about what happened aboard the vessel.
For 67-year-old survivor Ramrattan Doodnaut, the commissioners’ visit was an important opportunity for them to hear directly from those who had been on board.
“They need to have a clear understanding of what happened that night,” he said.
Doodnaut welcomed the engagement and said he looked forward to further interaction with the inquiry.
Commission Chairman Justice Godfrey P. Smith said the team anticipated taking about six months to complete its work and submit a report to President Dr Mohamed Irfaan Ali.
Appointed by President Ali, the five-member commission is tasked with investigating the circumstances surrounding the sinking and recommending measures to prevent a similar tragedy.
Its community engagements and facility visits form part of efforts to understand both what happened and the disaster’s impact on those affected.
During Tuesday’s visit, the commissioners also conducted a walkthrough of the Port Kaituma port before returning to Georgetown.
At the close of the community engagement, several participants stayed behind to personally thank the commissioners for undertaking the investigation.
Some pledged to attend the hearings in the coming weeks, either to give evidence or to show their support for the inquiry.
Substantive hearings begin Wednesday in the Lula Room of the Arthur Chung Convention Centre at Liliendaal.