MV Barima COI continues to prepare for October 14 hearings
The five-member Commission of Inquiry into the July 18 MV Barima tragedy inspected port facilities and a passenger ferry on Thursday as it prepares to begin oral hearings on October 14, 2026.
More than 100 people are expected to give oral testimony during the inquiry, which will examine the facts and circumstances surrounding the ship’s sinking.
The commissioners began their inspections at the Transport and Harbours Department’s wharf on Water Street, Kingston, examining key operational areas, including the bond and weighing scale.
They also reviewed relevant records and inspected the CCTV room.
The department’s General Manager, Yurlander Hughes, facilitated the visit to the wharf and related facilities.
The team then boarded the MV Ma Lisha, which operates between Georgetown and Port Kaituma, to gain a clearer understanding of its operations.
Later in the day, the commissioners visited the Maritime Administration Department (MARAD), where they held a private meeting with Director General Captain Stephen Thomas.
The inspections and meetings form part of the commission’s preliminary evidence-gathering work, allowing members to examine operational procedures and familiarise themselves with facilities relevant to the investigation.
Oral hearings will begin at the Arthur Chung Conference Centre on October 14.
Commission Chairman Justice Godfrey Phillip Smith said the inquiry is expected to take six months, after which its report will be submitted to President Dr Mohamed Irfaan Ali.
Serving alongside Justice Smith are Captain Hamada Fouda, a senior maritime surveyor and compliance auditor with the Maritime Authority of Jamaica, and Nyree Dawn Alfonso, a Trinidad and Tobago attorney specialising in admiralty and maritime law.
The other commissioners are Dr Andrzej Jasionowski, a Polish naval architect and marine engineer who has advised on investigations into major maritime disasters, and Rear Admiral (Ret’d) Hayden Pritchard, a former Chief of Defence Staff of the Trinidad and Tobago Defence Force with extensive experience in maritime operations and security.
President Ali announced the inquiry one week after the sinking and the five-member commission was sworn in on July 30.
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