The multinational search, rescue and recovery operation at the MV Barima wreck site continues around the clock, with dive teams from Guyana, Trinidad and Tobago, France and Brazil working up to 10 hours each day in difficult underwater conditions.
Lieutenant (N) Tyler Faraz, Commanding Officer of the Trinidad and Tobago Coast Guard vessel TTS Speyside (CG 25), said his vessel has been on station since about 3:00 a.m. last Tuesday, supporting recovery efforts through dive operations and extensive coastal searches.
“Our seven-man dive team, in conjunction with the dive teams from Brazil and especially France, has assisted with the recovery of persons and attaching equipment and lines to the MV Barima in efforts to move and refloat the vessel,” Lieutenant Faraz explained.
He said divers are operating at depths of 10 to 12 metres, where conditions are made significantly more hazardous by extremely poor visibility and strong tidal currents at the river’s mouth.
“Visibility is one of the greatest constraints right now. A lot of the divers are unable to see their hands in front of their face anything more than a foot because of the muddiness and murkiness of the seabed,” he said.
Despite these challenges, the operation maintains a continuous rotation of divers throughout daylight hours.
“We have got more or less constant rotation of persons who are able to be deployed into the water… until as close as possible to sunset,” he noted, adding that approximately 10 hours of diving operations are conducted each day.
Beyond underwater recovery, the Trinidad and Tobago Coast Guard vessel and its two daughter craft have carried out repeated patrols along Guyana’s northwestern coastline searching for possible survivors or victims.
Lieutenant Faraz also praised the strong collaboration among the participating countries and the support provided by Guyana.
“The commanding officer of the Guyanese Coast Guard… and the Government of the country have been fully supportive in all efforts. We have been supplied with fuel, water and rations to ensure that we are able to consistently deploy,” he said. (DPI)
