Govt willing to leave MV Barima on sea floor even if there is useful evidence for probe

Last Updated on Wednesday, 29 July 2026, 0:13 by Writer

Prime Minister Mark Phillips on Tuesday said several international companies were available to salvage the ferry MV Barima, which most likely has the remains of several more occupants and vital evidence for a Commission of Inquiry (CoI), but the government’s decision was hinged on the wishes of families.

He denied avoiding a key question, to which he did not reply, about the need to avoid incontrovertible evidence about possible engine failure if the vessel is salvaged.

Both Emergency Operations Coordinator of the Maritime Search and Rescue Coordination Centre Captain John Flores and the prime minister said the Commission of Inquiry could rely on testimony from occupants of the vessel.

“We are also saying that even if you didn’t salvage the engine, salvage the boat…and take that engine and inspect it, the witness, the crew, the people on board could say whether the engine stopped running and they had to do any repairs and, therefore, you make a deduction that there was a problem, right. So either way, it can be done,” Mr Phillips told a news conference.

Referring to a questionnaire that was being circulated asking families whether they want the MV Barima to be salvaged or remain on the sea floor, the Prime Minister repeatedly said the government was willing to yield to the wishes of the survivors.

“In addition to those offers to salvage the vessel, it is the wishes of the family that are important at this stage, because if there is an indication from the families that they prefer, sorry, to have the area be deemed a memorial site, then we go with that option,” he said.

Mr Phillips was asked why the government was relying on the families’ wishes when the intention is to get to the bottom of the cause of the sinking of the vessel, bearing in mind the likelihood of the vessel itself containing relevant evidence about its navigational aids and the engine’s condition for a commission of inquiry.

In response, he reiterated that the government wanted to “get to the truth” while also honouring the wishes of the family.

He said President Irfaan Ali had several engagements with families of survivors and the 30 others who are missing and the questions of having a memorial site or bringing up the wreckage were being discussed.

Mr Phillips did not respond specifically to the question about who first proposed the idea of a memorial site.

He denied that the government was attempting to engage in a cover-up.

“Government has nothing to hide. I can tell you up front, we have nothing to hide,” he said.

Pressed on whether the government was trying to convince them to say ‘yes, not to salvage’, he said. “no, no, no. Government is not trying to convince anybody to say anything,” he said.

The public works ministry has lost several all-terrain vehicles (ATVs), fuel and other supplies.

There are unconfirmed reports that a very large generator was among the heavy items aboard the MV Barima.

Mr Phillips said the CoI would have to rule on whether the ferry was overloaded.

“The government, from the inception, has accepted that there are several discrepancies…I know there were pronouncements about the load of the vessel and vessel not being overloaded, but the fact that we identify one discrepancy means that there may be other discrepancies,” he said.

Meanwhile, the prime minister said the government would provide transportation to take witnesses from their locations to the CoI when it starts.