He was supposed to be on leave. Instead, Chief Engineer Paul Ian Seepersaud told his replacement he would make one more trip first.
That trip was aboard the MV Barima.
“Scooby was to go on leave and I was supposed to replace Scooby, but he said he’ll make one more trip then go. So when I heard what happened, it’s like you’re happy you didn’t go but at the same time, you’re sad because he was good to everyone,” said Trevon Fraser, a colleague who remembered the 44-year-old — affectionately known as “Scooby” — as a man respected and loved by everyone he worked with.
Seepersaud, of Vryman’s Erven, New Amsterdam, was among those who lost their lives in the MV Barima tragedy. He was laid to rest on Wednesday at the Wesleyan Church, where seafarers, captains, engineers and other offshore professionals who had worked alongside him joined his loved ones in mourning. His former colleagues carried his casket into the church one final time as emotional tributes were delivered.
Seepersaud’s journey into the maritime sector began after he attended Berbice High School and joined the Board of Industrial Training. He went on to enter the Transport and Harbours Department as a Third Engineer, steadily rising through the ranks to become Chief Engineer before his untimely death.
For his brother-in-law, Grayson Hailey, the grief is bound up in a small ritual the two men shared — one that ended without either of them realising it.
“The day before he left to go to work, he came to my home. I was doing some cement work at the back, and he came to say that he’s going and so on. He stopped the vehicle on the road. Usually I would go out to him and give him a hand pound and say, ‘man, we’re gonna see each other next week.’ And somehow I did not go,” Hailey recalled.
“Like he wanted to tell me that he came specially to tell me he’s going. I did not acknowledge it in that way. The hand pound is something I used to give him; since then I can’t even give him now,” he said.
His son, Adrian, remembered a father who was constantly checking in, always ready to help.
“He would always checking up on you, assisting in ways he can, whether it’s asking me if I want something to eat, studying for a test or so. He would always be like, ‘yuh sure, check and check back,'” Adrian shared.
As Seepersaud was laid to rest, those who knew him remembered not only a skilled maritime professional, but a devoted father, family man and friend whose kindness left a lasting impression on many.
Minister of Agriculture Zulfikar Mustapha, Minister of Natural Resources Vickram Bharrat, Member of Parliament Zamal Hussain and other government officials joined mourners in honouring Seepersaud’s life and service.
