Saturday, July 18, 2026
• The MV Barima, a passenger and cargo ferry built in 1939, departs Georgetown bound for Port Kaituma, North West District, a sub-region accessible from the ocean via a riverain route.
• The vessel is carrying far more people than the 133 recorded on its official passenger manifest, a discrepancy that only becomes apparent after the disaster.
• Approximately eight hours into the voyage and seven miles offshore Dartmouth, Essequibo Coast, it is reportedly that the ferry is struck by a large wave and capsizes.
• Air traffic control receives a distress call at about 11pm, triggering an immediate search and rescue response from the Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre.
Sunday, July 19
• A full-scale search and rescue operation gets under way at first light, with the Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre deploying multiple assets including vessels and aircraft.
• Rescue teams save 41 men, 11 women, six boys and nine girls, bringing the confirmed number rescued to 67.
• Public Works Minister Bishop Juan Edghill initially says there is no evidence of “neglect” on the part of the ferry operator.
• By Sunday evening, Edghill confirms the captain and at least one other crew member tested positive for marijuana.
• The captain and an engineer are taken into police custody.
• Officials discover that several rescued passengers were not listed on the ferry’s manifest, exposing inaccuracies that hamper efforts to determine how many people remain missing.
• President Dr Irfaan Ali, on an official visit to Canada, cuts short his trip and returns to Guyana.
• The confirmed death toll stands at two, with dozens still unaccounted for.
Monday, July 20
• 15 French Guiana divers join the search.
• Prime Minister Brigadier (Ret’d) Mark Phillips says he is now confident that 179 people were aboard the ferry, well above the manifest’s listed 133.
• The confirmed death toll rises to 27, with 69 people rescued and 83 still listed as missing.
• The search area is expanded from roughly 400 to 1,070 square kilometres, with local fishermen and private energy sector vessels joining Government resources in the operation.
• President Ali meets with rescued survivors and with families of those affected by the disaster.
• Prime Minister Phillips launches an investigation into potential institutional failures aboard the vessel, saying anyone found guilty of negligence or misconduct will face legal action.
• Edghill dismisses public reports suggesting the MV Barima had been declared unfit for service, saying the vessel was operating within its routine maintenance schedule and was last dry-docked in 2024, with its next dry-docking scheduled for later this year alongside the MV Malali and MV Hercules.
Tuesday, July 21
• Fourteen additional bodies are recovered, raising the confirmed death toll to 41, with 77 people reported rescued.
• Later in the day, Prime Minister Phillips raises the toll further, to at least 53 dead, with 76 rescued.
• Edghill describes the MV Barima disaster as Guyana’s worst maritime disaster in decades.
• Forensic personnel process recovered remains at a waterfront staging area in Charity, while victim identification, involving relatives, continues at Suddie Hospital.
• Search and rescue operations remain active, with dozens of people still unaccounted for.
Important Notes
• The Government has reiterated its commitment to deploying all available resources until every possible avenue has been exhausted in the search for those still missing.
• Questions remain over the ferry’s certified passenger and cargo capacity relative to the numbers and tonnage actually aboard on the night of the disaster.
• Scrutiny continues over the accuracy of the passenger manifest and the broader state of Guyana’s ageing coastal ferry fleet.
