MV Barima Ferry Disaster: Timeline

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.