All trawlers are undergoing  inspections, in the wake of an explosion aboard a Guyanese-owned trawler, 'Captain Lloyd 97', that resulted in the apparent death and disappearance of its captain and injury to two crew members.

 

Believed dead  in the late June incident is Captain Delbert Williams. Injured are seamen Orlando Munroe and George Fitzpatrick.

 

The Agriculture Ministry on Monday said the Ministry of Communications, which is responsible for the Maritime Administration, had launched a probe to "determine the cause of the incident and to make recommendations to minimize the recurrence of such an incident. 'Captain Lloyd 97' is owned by Pritipaul Singh Investments and is registered locally.

 

"Safety inspections are also being conducted on all trawler vessels," added the Agriculture Ministry.

Meanwhile, the Agriculture Ministry refuted reports in a section of the media that the 'Captain Tain' which sank in Surinamese waters after a fuel explosion early Sunday morning was registered in Guyana.

 

The privately-owned Kaieteur News on Monday reported that Ravi Sankar Ragoonauth, 39, of De Willem, West Coast Demerara, might have perished in the blaze.

 

Three other crew members-- Ramlall Ramjattan (the captain), of New Road, Vreed-en-Hoop; Sharief Khan, and Rameshdatt Narine- escaped by jumping overboard and were rescued by the Suirnamese Coast Guard and a passing vessel.

 

 The Fisheries Department of the Ministry of Agriculture said that the trawler "allegedly involved in an incident that occurred in Surinamese waters does not belong to Guyana's Fishing fleet".
"As such, the vessel was not entitled to engage in any fishing activities within Guyana and is not recognized as a fishing vessel licensed to fish in Guyana's Exclusive Economic Zone," according to a statement.

Guyanese owners of some marine vessels register them in Suriname to avoid them from being intercepted for being in the waters of the former Dutch colony.