-MV Barima COI hears
-by Kimberly Giddings
The Commission of Inquiry into the MV Barima tragedy heard today that the vessel’s emergency beacon activated automatically after the sinking, transmitting a distress signal that triggered search-and-rescue procedures.
MARAD Marine Superintendent Christopher Bailey also testified that he recovered the device floating at sea during the rescue operation.
Bailey explained that the Emergency Position-Indicating Radio Beacon, or EPIRB, was designed to activate automatically when submerged.
He said the device would detach from the vessel at a depth of approximately 1.5 metres, float to the surface and transmit a distress signal.
Bailey recalled spotting a faint light at sea between 3:30 and 4 a.m. on July 19, which led him to the beacon.
“At approximately 3:30 to 4am in the morning I would’ve seen a faint light from it and proceeded to the device, at that time I didn’t know what it was when I got there I discovered that it was the EPIRB that was in the water. So I immediately removed it, it wasn’t attached to any debris, it wasn’t attached to the vessel, it was found with no survivors, it was just afloat in the water,” he said.
Bailey said the beacon was floating independently, with no survivors or debris nearby. He testified that it switched off after being retrieved and was subsequently handed over to the Marine Rescue Coordination Centre.
He also described finding three empty, fully inflated life rafts and later recovering bodies during continued searches off the Pomeroon coast.
“We would’ve found 3 life rafts afloat fully inflated, no survivors or any bodies were found in those life racks they were just afloat. The 20th of July would have been when we continued our search and we would have found some bodies afloat off of the Pomeroon beach area,” he said.
Meanwhile, Coast Guard Petty Officer Jeromey Agard testified that his team rescued 26 people on July 19, some clinging to life jackets and wooden pallets.
GDF pilot Major Loyden Layne also recalled spotting an unidentified red light offshore during an aerial search and relaying its coordinates to military headquarters.
MARAD Captain Anthony Williams reported encountering floating debris, while Chief Engineering Officer Christopher Clarke testified about his involvement in repairs to the vessel over approximately 18 years.
Commission Chairman Justice Godfrey Smith disclosed that 21 witnesses have testified since public hearings began on October 14, including six on Monday.
The inquiry continues into the circumstances surrounding the tragedy and the subsequent rescue response.
