More than three weeks after the Tender Board opened the bids submitted by three companies for the salvaging of the MV Barima Ferry, a selection is still to take place.

Through its website, the Tender Board indicated that two local companies – BK International Inc and Industrial Fabrication Inc – and a Dutch company out of the Netherlands, KMS B.V, submitted bids for the salvaging of the vessel that sank on July 18, claiming the lives of more than 100 persons.

 The bids ranged from approximately $1 billion to more than $2 billion.

A sister of two of the young boys who died in the tragedy said the families of those who died and survivors need answers and closure.

According to Gailaan Thomas, who lost her two young brothers, while the remains of her nine-year-old brother were recovered, the 13-year-old brother is among the still missing persons.

“Our family needs answers; and my brother deserve to be brought home. And ever since my brother body has been at the bottom of that ocean our family has been in agonizing limbo,” Thomas said.

And Jasmin Cort, who lost her father, Neil Cort and Uncle Kendrick Cort said the Government must do everything possible to provide closure to the grieving families.

“I know that there may be no chance of me recovering the bodies of my father and my uncle but what I would like is for the Government of Guyana to do everything that is reasonable, let it be done. Everything that is within your institutional power and everything within your institutional right as a the governing body of our country, do what can be done, reasonably be done for our families – families that are in a void, that are in an impasse, that are in limbo because  we have not received the bodies of our loved ones. We were not able to lay them to rest, and not being able to do that, it gives you hope, and that hope breaks your heart every single day because you are saying that you didn’t see a body,” Cort explained.

She said the matter is not being treated with any sense of urgency.

“For me, I feel as though that process was telling families that there is no urgency. We put out an Expressions of Interest that have to be closed within the next two weeks to three weeks. August 14 it was closed, and it was not until 25 days later, then those bids were opened and the public was made aware along with our family. Because we only receive information via social media, via online news sources,” Cort said.

 A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) Member of Parliament, Ganesh Mahipaul said it is unacceptable that a selection has not been made for the salvaging of the vessel almost a month after the bids were opened.

“September 8 – that’s the date when they opened the tenders and the evaluation began. From September 8 to September 25, we are told that they are still evaluating the bids – that’s wickedness. I don’t think there is any project in this country or any award in this country that took so many days to evaluate the tenders before the award is made. I don’t understand what is taking so long with this process,” MP Mahipaul told reporters.

Guyanese have been pressing the Government to salvage the vessel to aid in the investigation into the tragic incident and bring closure to the families who have lost loved ones.

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