By Staff Writer, NewsAmericas Now
News Americas, GEORGETOWN, Guyana, Weds. Sept. 8, 2026: More than three weeks after international bids were sought to salvage the sunken Guyana MV Barima, there is still no public update on when, or whether, the ferry will be raised, even as the vessel’s captain and two crew members were ordered to remain jailed on murder charges tied to the disaster Monday.
Vessel Captain Kevin Price, Chief Mate Rondell Roberts and Goods Superintendent Delon Granderson were further remanded to prison yesterday, Sept. 7th, after state prosecutors confirmed full disclosure of evidence had been handed to the defense, according to Kaieteur News. The men appeared virtually before Magistrate Ravindra Mohabir at the Charity Magistrate’s Court, which granted the defense until September 14th to review the evidence, with formal committal proceedings now scheduled to begin November 16th.
The three are jointly charged with 72 counts of murder in connection with the July 18 sinking that killed at least 72 people, with more than 30 others still missing and presumed dead. Price and Granderson are represented by attorney Dexter Smartt, alongside a legal team that includes Dexter Todd. Attorney Everton Lammy-Singh represents Roberts.
THE FERRY
The ferry capsized the night of July 18th en route to Port Kaituma, Region One from Georgetown, killing 73 people, including children. Seventy-six people survived. At least 30 people remain unaccounted for at sea, their bodies never recovered, with the sunken vessel itself still resting on the ocean floor with no comments from the Guyana People’s Progressive Party/Civic government on when the vessel could be raised or who the winning bidder is.
Jailed while the boat sits unrecovered
Price, Roberts and Granderson, all employees of Guyana’s Transport and Harbours Department, have now spent over 7 weeks in custody while the wreck that could hold answers, and the remains of missing passengers, remains unraised. Price broke down in tears during an earlier court appearance, alleging the government-assigned vessel was unseaworthy. “I ain’t deserve this, father God… I ain’t deserve this,” he told reporters, claiming the ferry lacked a functional anchor, radar, search and rescue transponders, and an Emergency Position-Indicating Radio Beacon, and that its inflatable life rafts had been expired since 2022.
Defense lawyers, legal commentators, and the political opposition have criticized the decision to file murder charges before the search for the missing has concluded and before the international Commission of Inquiry has begun its work. Police have maintained the charges followed legal advice from Director of Public Prosecutions Shalimar Ali-Hack, who has said her recommendation was based on the evidence presented, relevant principles of law, and case law authorities drawn from the United Kingdom, Commonwealth jurisdictions, and the European Court of Human Rights, along with public policy considerations.
Government authorities have continued to deny claims that the ferry was overloaded, even as survivors and grieving relatives maintain otherwise. Price has said a maritime inspection failed to write off the vessel despite its condition.
A Commission of Inquiry, established on July 30, 2026, with a five-member international commission and chaired by Justice Godfrey Phillip Smith, issued a public call for evidence this month as the team began preparatory work and invited public submissions regarding the July 18, 2026, maritime disaster.
NewsAmericasNow will continue following the MV Barima case and any developments on the vessel’s salvage.
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