MV Barima Captain Kevin Pryce, who is currently incarcerated along with two others charged with murder in relation to the MV Barima tragedy, was among the first 50 persons rescued following the sinking of the vessel on July 18. He was handed over to health officials at Charity by the Guyana Defence Force (GDF) Coast Guard.

On Friday, Coast Guard Midshipman Rahul Ramsarup put figures to the number of persons rescued by the Coast Guard with the help of civilians including fishermen, as well as the number of bodies recovered.

Ramsarup, who was the officer commanding the GDF Floating Base in the Pomeroon, testified that between July 19, 2026 and July 22, 2026, a total of 69 persons were rescued, with the first 50 persons being rescued hours after the boat went down.

Ramsarup had compiled a log of the number of persons rescued and another log of the number of bodies recovered following the deadly tragedy.

It was explained that around 7:30hrs on Sunday, July 19, 2026, a pilot vessel from the Maritime Administration Department (MARAD) arrived at the GDF Floating Base in the Pomeroon carrying 50 survivors and the remains of one person.

Among those survivors were children and adults including the Captain of the MV Barima. Those survivors and the deceased person were then transported in smaller vessels by the Coast Guard with assistance from civilians to Charity, where they were handed over to medical personnel in the presence of the police.

“Later that day another pilot vessel came with seven more survivors which was also transported to Charity. On the same date, a fishing vessel, this was brought to our knowledge after, rescued 11 persons and they were handed over at Hampton Court. Also on that same day, a coast guard vessel would have rescued one personnel….and that brings us to a total of 69 persons rescued and accounted for by the Coast Guard,” Ramsarup testified.

He said the one personnel rescued was identified as “the mate” of the MV Barima. According to him, the mate after being rescued remained on the Coast Guard vessel and assisted with the search and rescue operations ongoing at the time.

The Commission also heard that during the period July 19 and July 22, a total of 71 bodies had also been recovered.

“On the 18^th and 19^th, we recovered a total of 33 bodies, on the 20^th, we recovered a total of 24 bodies, on the 21^st 13 and on the 22^nd one. So, a total of 71 recovered and accounted for by the Coast Guard, 71 bodies,” the Midshipman detailed.

No Wi-Fi

Ramsarup was the commanding officer, who had dispatched the first team comprising four persons including Petty Officer Deon Smith to the area where the distress alert had emanated from. Ramsarup told the Commission that during that period, he lost contact with Smith and the team sometime after they left the base due to technical issues on the vessel. It was explained that the Starlink battery on the vessel had died resulting in Wi-Fi being lost.

Help From Morawhanna

Sub Lieutenant Mahwana Abrams, who also aided in the search and rescue operations, also appeared before the Commission on Friday.

Abrams, who has been in the Guyana Defence Force for eight years, with six of those years spent with the Coast Guard, had successfully conducted a search and rescue operation in the Pomeroon when a Trinidad and Tobago cargo vessel sank in 2022.

At the time, the captain and crew were rescued.

The Commission heard that at the time of the MV Barima tragedy, Abrams was at the GDF Coast Guard Base at Morawhanna in Region One, and on Sunday, July 19, he was instructed to travel to Region Two to assist with the search and rescue operation.

“So, after I received the instructions, I departed District One Morawhanna and headed in south-east along the coast. My instruction was to sweep the entire area. I sweep the entire area from Waini straight down to the Pomeroon River,” he told the Commission.

Abrams arrived at the Pomeroon Base at 16:30hrs and reported that during his voyage there were no discoveries made. He would later conduct searches between the Moruca River and the Pomeroon River Mouth, but still no one was found.

However, on July 20, on the instructions of the Commanding Officer of the Coast Guard, Commander David Shamsudeen, Abrams traveled to the disaster site where an undisclosed number of bodies were handed over to him. The bodies, which were already in body bags, were transported to Charity. Abrams said he also recovered a number of bodies on the following day, but could not give the Commission a count for either the bodies he recovered, or the ones handed over to him.

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