Guyana Anti Corruption Network

GACN Investigative Outline: Two Wreck Removal Policies, One Standard of Justice?

**I. Introduction: The “Quick and Efficient” Promise Versus the Tragic Reality**

The Government of Guyana has demonstrated a remarkable capacity for swift, decisive action when it comes to removing wrecks deemed hazardous to commerce. In December 2022, Minister of Public Works Juan Edghill signed a $1.38 billion contract with Dutch firm Koole BV, declaring it was “necessary for us to make our waterways safer for ships by removing these 17 wrecks quickly and efficiently”. Yet, when the MV Barima capsized off the Essequibo Coast on July 18, 2026—claiming over 100 lives—the government’s response has been one of bureaucratic hesitation, launching a lengthy tender process more than two weeks after the disaster.

This investigation by the Guyana Anti-Corruption Network scrutinizes this stark contradiction. It contrasts the government’s willingness to spend over $2.16 billion on proactive wreck removal with its initial reluctance and slow-footed response to the MV Barima tragedy, raising fundamental questions about accountability, priorities, and the value placed on Guyanese lives.

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**II. Contract 1: The Demerara River Precursor (2021)**

This $787.6 million contract (approximately US$3.7M) awarded to Koole Contractors in early September 2021 set a precedent for swift, direct action when navigation safety was deemed critical to national development.

**Scope and Method:** The contract targeted three wrecks in the Demerara River—**Dar B, Allana III,** and **Miss Elissa**—that were obstacles to navigation and port development. Koole employed its “chisel method,” using a 17.5-tonne steel plate hoisted approximately 22 meters in the air and dropped onto the wrecks to break them into manageable sections for removal. Once broken up, a grapple was used to remove the wreckage bit by bit. According to Koole’s project manager, the first barge, measuring about 50 metres by 12.5 metres, was expected to take approximately two weeks to remove, with all three wrecks estimated to be cleared within two to three months.

**Performance and Significance:** By early 2022, two of the three wrecks had been successfully removed. The contract demonstrated that the government could mobilize resources and act decisively when projects were considered essential to economic advancement. MARAD’s Harbour Master noted that Guyana had tried to remove these vessels in the past but was unable to do so. The contractor’s ability to remove these wrecks established a pattern of direct contracting for critical maritime infrastructure. Koole’s website confirms that the company successfully removed two large barges and a small cargo ship from the entrance of the Demerara River in Georgetown using their traditional “cut & grab” method, making the port safely accessible again.

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**III. Contract 2: The Nationwide Wreck Removal Program (2022)**

Signed on December 12, 2022, this $1.38 billion contract represented a massive commitment to clearing Guyana’s waterways of historical hazards.

**Scope and Rationale:** The contract covered the removal of 17 sunken vessels across the entrances to the **Demerara, Berbice, Pomeroon, Waini, and Essequibo rivers**, as well as offshore areas. MARAD Director General Captain Stephen Thomas noted that some of the wrecks to be cleared had existed since the mid-1900s and that Guyana’s ports were previously viewed as “hazardous to seafarers”. The removal was presented as key to port development—particularly the Vreed-en-Hoop port and gas-to-energy projects—and was expected to decrease insurance risks for vessels calling on Guyana’s ports. Once completed, the wreck removal information was to be submitted to the United Kingdom Hydrographic Office for removal from navigation charts.

**The 17 Wrecks Targeted:** While the full list of 17 was not published in its entirety, MARAD Notices to Mariners provide coordinates for 11 specific wrecks under this contract:

– **Miss Shivita 2** (08° 28′.000 N, 059° 47′.600 W)
– **Captain Richardo** (07° 02′.374 N, 058° 11′.566 W)
– **Albert J** (06° 57′.200 N, 058° 04′.100 W)
– **Sconset** (07° 00′.167 N, 058° 03′.850 W)
– **MV Torani** (06° 23′.939 N, 058° 39′.382 W) — a relic from the 1960s that had been partially submerged near the Transport and Harbours Department’s dry dock facility in the Mazaruni River since its decommissioning in December 2018
– **Telltale 1** (06° 27′.600 N, 057° 27′.200 W)
– **Key Holt** (06° 51′.600 N, 058° 09′.133 W)
– **Lady Phoneta** (07° 57′.000 N, 058° 49′.000 W)
– **Capt. Saif** (07° 57′.000 N, 058° 48′.000 W)
– **Eclipse** (07° 32′.484 N, 058° 30′.109 W)
– **Aracosta** (06° 24′.533 N, 057° 29′.083 W)

**Progress and Timeline:** The project was expected to be completed within eight months. By February 2024, seven vessels had been successfully extracted, with the MV Torani slated as the eighth. However, by January 2025, while 14 of the 17 wrecks had been cleared, two—**Lady Phoneta** and **Capt. Saif**—remained active removal sites, and the project was extended to December 31, 2025.

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**IV. The MV Barima: Location, Coordinates, and Response**

**The Disaster:** The MV Barima capsized on July 18, 2026, off the Essequibo Coast in one of Guyana’s worst maritime disasters. The vessel was carrying an estimated 179 people; the confirmed death toll rose to 73, with 76 rescued and 30 still listed as missing.

**The Official Wreck Location:** According to MARAD’s formal invitation for Expressions of Interest, the MV Barima rests at approximate coordinates **Latitude 07°28′.213 North, Longitude 058°23′.443 West**, in water depths of about 13 to 15 metres (42–49 feet) in soft mud.

**Proximity to Other Contracted Wrecks:** The MV Barima’s location is in close proximity to several wrecks that were targeted under the 2022 Koole BV contract. The **Eclipse**, for example, was listed at 07°32′.484 N, 058°30′.109 W, which is approximately 4.27 nautical miles north of the Barima’s position. This places them in the same general offshore area near the Essequibo Coast. The **Lady Phoneta** and **Capt. Saif**, which remained active removal sites as of January 2025, were located further north near the Pomeroon River mouth at 07°57′.000 N. The removal of the Eclipse and the planned removal of Lady Phoneta and Capt. Saif demonstrate that Koole BV was actively working in the same waterways where the MV Barima now lies.

**The Government’s Hesitation:** Despite the scale of the tragedy, the government did not immediately invoke emergency powers to salvage the vessel. Instead, on July 31, 2026, MARAD issued an invitation for Expressions of Interest, with a submission deadline of August 14, 2026. This timeline means salvage work would likely not begin until late August or September, leaving the wreck—containing human remains and forensic evidence—on the seabed for over a month.

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**V. GACN’s Outreach to Koole BV**

The Guyana Anti-Corruption Network has reached out to Koole BV directly to seek their perspective on this matter. Given that Koole BV is the only contractor with proven experience in removing wrecks from Guyana’s waters—having successfully completed the 2021 Demerara River contract and removed 14 of 17 wrecks under the 2022 contract—their insight is essential to understanding the technical and logistical considerations involved in wreck removal operations in Guyana’s waters.

GACN has requested that Koole BV provide any information, photographs, or documentation regarding the wrecks they have successfully removed under both contracts. GACN remains committed to presenting a balanced investigation and will publish any response received from Koole BV in full.

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**VI. The Central Contradiction: Speed for Commerce, Delay for Humanity**

**Contrast 1: Proactive Investment versus Reactive Hesitation**—The government proactively invested over $2.16 billion in two contracts (2021 and 2022) to remove wrecks for economic development and international shipping standards. In contrast, after the MV Barima tragedy, the government initially hesitated on a full salvage, with a slow tender process that critics have called “cruel, insensitive, and entirely unacceptable.”

**Contrast 2: Justifying “Emergency” Action**—The 2021 Demerara River contract was justified as critical for port development, allowing for direct action despite a history of failed removal attempts. For the MV Barima, which sank with massive loss of life and required urgent forensic recovery for the Commission of Inquiry, the government resorted to a standard EOI process more than two weeks after the disaster.

**Contrast 3: The Promise of Safety**—At the 2022 signing ceremony, Minister Edghill promised to make waterways “safer for ships”. Yet the MV Barima, a vessel that survivor accounts and opposition documents suggest was not seaworthy and was overloaded, was allowed to sail on a route that passed through waters known to contain hazardous wrecks.

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**VII. A Call for Accountability from GACN**

This is not simply a matter of administrative procedure; it is a question of moral obligation to the victims and their families, and of accountability to taxpayers.

**GACN’s Key Questions:**

1. Why was swift, decisive action possible for economic development projects but not for a humanitarian tragedy?
2. Can the government provide a full list of all 17 wrecks from the 2022 contract, including their coordinates, to allow for a transparent assessment of their locations relative to the MV Barima?
3. Given that Koole BV was actively removing wrecks in the same offshore areas as the MV Barima, why was this company not immediately contracted to conduct the salvage?
4. What is the justification for the difference in urgency between the two cases, especially given that the stated goal of the 2022 contract was to “make our waterways safer for ships”?

**GACN Call to Action:**

– **Immediate Salvage:** Demand the government invoke any available emergency provisions to expedite the salvage of the MV Barima, treating it with the same urgency as a major infrastructure project.
– **Full Transparency:** Demand the release of all documentation, including the full list of wrecks and coordinates from the 2022 Koole BV contract, all maintenance and inspection records for the MV Barima, and all communication regarding the government’s decision to delay the salvage.
– **Commission of Inquiry:** Ensure the Commission of Inquiry has full access to the wreck and forensic evidence, and that the salvage operation is conducted in a manner that preserves this evidence.
– **Response from Koole BV:** GACN awaits a response from Koole BV and will update the public on any information or documentation the company wishes to share.

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### References

1. Maritime Administration Department (MARAD). “Notice to Mariners No. 037 (2025).” January 30, 2025.
2. Stabroek News. “Dutch company signs $1.38b contract for removal of 17 wrecks.” December 13, 2022.
3. Maritime Administration Department (MARAD). “Notice to Mariners No. 034 (2024).” February 8, 2024.
4. News Room Guyana. “$1.38B contract awarded for removal of maritime wrecks.” December 12, 2022.
5. Kaieteur News. “Dutch company using ‘chisel method’ to remove wrecks from Demerara River.” October 25, 2021.
6. Koole BV. “Wrakopruiming in Guyana” (Dutch language project page). September 2024.
7. Department of Public Information (DPI). “Capsized Torani being removed from Mazaruni River.” February 15, 2024.
8. Koole BV. “Wrackbeseitigung in Guyana” (German language project page). September 2024.
9. Guyana Chronicle. “Reduced insurance risk, greater confidence in Guyana’s waterways expected.” December 13, 2022.
10. High Commission of the Cooperative Republic of Guyana. “Contract to the tune of $1.38B awarded for maritime wreck removal.” December 12, 2022.
11. Guyana Chronicle. “Guyana seeks specialist contractors to raise sunken MV Barima.” August 1, 2026.
12. Guyana Standard. “MARAD invites salvage firms to recover MV Barima.” August 1, 2026.
13. Guyana Times. “Govt calls for EOIs to salvage sunken MV Barima.” August 2, 2026.
14. Caribbean Broadcasting Corporation. “Guyana: Search begins for specialist firm to salvage sunken ferry.” August 2, 2026.
15. NCN Guyana. “MARAD Reports Strong Achievements in 2024.” January 8, 2025.
16. Ignite News. “MARAD seeks salvage firms to recover sunken MV Barima ferry.” August 1, 2026.