The government has confirmed that no additional arrests have been made in connection with the MV Barima tragedy.

Prime Minister, Brigadier (Ret’d) Mark Phillips on Tuesday said the captain and one crew member who were previously taken into custody remain detained, with statements taken from them. He added that counselling support has been offered to those affected, including staff members of the Transport and Harbours Department who have been impacted by the loss of colleagues and the ongoing recovery efforts.

Meanwhile, Minister of Public Works, Bishop Juan Edghill disclosed that the captain and members of the crew have previously faced disciplinary action for various infractions involving vessels.

According to Minister Edghill, these included matters such as alcohol and drug-related offences, misconduct, the unauthorised transportation of persons or illegal substances, and the storage of passengers or cargo without proper freight arrangements.

However, he reiterated that questions surrounding the operation of the MV Barima must be addressed through the formal investigation.

“There was some breakdown in the system. We don’t want to get into discussing that here. We want the inquiry to go and investigate the extent of those breakdowns in systems,” Minister Edghill said.