North-West gets another ferry, Parika-Bartica to get more vessels
Demerara Waves Online News · Denis Chabrol
Read the original at Demerara Waves Online News ↗Retrieval note — do not quote as verbatim
This source was returned by the retrieval tool in condensed form. Direct quotations recorded below are reliable; any connective wording is the tool’s compression, not the outlet’s. TOOL-CONDENSED — summary with short verbatim internal quotations. Tool rendered byline date as Thursday, January 15, 2026; URL date is 2026-01-14.
What this source establishes
A Demerara Waves report six months before the disaster on the government's acquisition of the Kalliopi N, built in Greece in 2025 at a cost of just over US$4 million, for Region One and to be renamed. Minister Deodat Indar gives its specifications as three Hyundai engines, two generators, 284 passengers, 51 vehicles or 14 trucks, air-conditioned, operating at 10-12 knots. President Ali describes 'a broader strategy to renew incrementally the existing fleet'. The report also records wharf upgrades planned in Region One, Kingston, Parika and across the Essequibo to accommodate front-loading vessels.
Key claims
- Kalliopi N built in Greece 2025, cost just over US$4 million, acquired for Region One, to be renamed
- Operates at 10-12 knots
- Pre-delivery modifications: fuel capacity reinforcement, ballast tank testing, bulkhead and valve inspection, duplicated navigation equipment
- Minister Deodat Indar: three Hyundai engines, two generators, 284 passengers, 51 vehicles or 14 trucks, air-conditioned
- ARIS IV (US$4.4 million) renamed MV Konawaruk 1899 for Parika-Supenaam
- Wharf upgrades planned in Region One, Kingston, Parika and across the Essequibo to accommodate front-loading vessels
Quotations
- “a broader strategy to renew incrementally the existing fleet”
- “a modern, efficient and reliable transport network”
Prior warnings recorded
- None explicit. President Ali is quoted describing the acquisitions as 'a broader strategy to renew incrementally the existing fleet' with older vessels being replaced — an on-record pre-disaster acknowledgement, six months before the sinking, that the existing fleet needed replacing.
Vessel facts recorded
- fact: Kalliopi N built in Greece in 2025, cost just over US$4 million, acquired for Region One (Barima-Waini); to receive a local name
- source: https://demerarawaves.com/2026/01/14/north-west-gets-another-ferry-parika-bartica-to-get-more-vessels/
- fact: Operates at 10-12 knots; modifications before delivery included fuel capacity reinforcement, ballast tank testing, bulkhead and valve inspection, and duplicated navigation equipment
- source: https://demerarawaves.com/2026/01/14/north-west-gets-another-ferry-parika-bartica-to-get-more-vessels/
- fact: Specifications per Minister Deodat Indar: three Hyundai engines, two generators, seating for 284 passengers, capacity for 51 vehicles or 14 trucks, air-conditioned passenger areas
- source: https://demerarawaves.com/2026/01/14/north-west-gets-another-ferry-parika-bartica-to-get-more-vessels/
- fact: The earlier-arriving ARIS IV (US$4.4 million) was renamed MV Konawaruk 1899 and serves Parika-Supenaam
- source: https://demerarawaves.com/2026/01/14/north-west-gets-another-ferry-parika-bartica-to-get-more-vessels/
| Outlet | Demerara Waves Online News |
|---|---|
| Author | Denis Chabrol |
| Published | 14 January 2026 |
| Type | Historical & context |
| Genre | pre disaster news report on fleet renewal |
| Archive reference | 2026-01-14_demerara-waves_north-west-gets-another-ferry-parika-bartica-to-get-more-vessels.md |
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