87-YEAR-OLD MV BARIMA REMAINED IN SERVICE DESPITE REPLACEMENT PLANS

What this source establishes

An HGPTV report reconstructing sixteen years of replacement commitments for the North-West route. It records that Port Kaituma residents were calling for a newer, faster vessel as early as 2010, that by 2015 officials publicly acknowledged the North-West ferries were ageing, and that Edghill told Parliament the MV Ma Lisha would replace the MV Barima and MV Kimbia on the Mabaruma, Morawhanna and Port Kaituma routes. It states that Guyana's 2026 river-transport budget of G$11.2bn funded no purpose-built vessel to retire the Barima, and that T&HD instead tendered further docking and rehabilitation at an engineer's estimate of about G$124.5m, with five bids from G$105m to G$124m.

Key claims

• Vessel records list the MV Barima as built 1939, approximately 87 years old
• Edghill: 116 passengers and crew aboard with approximately 268 tonnes of cargo, operating below licensed limits
• 2017 rehabilitation G$150.6m: hull, propellers and rudders, two engines installed, passenger accommodation, safety equipment
• Port Kaituma residents were calling for a newer and faster vessel as early as 2010
• By 2015 officials publicly acknowledged the North-West ferries were ageing and needed urgent attention
• Then Cabinet Secretary Joseph Harmon, 2015: the old vessels should not remain in service much longer
• Edghill told Parliament the MV Ma Lisha would replace the MV Barima and MV Kimbia on the Mabaruma/Morawhanna/Port Kaituma routes
• MV Ma Lisha: US$12.7m, commissioned 2023 under Indian financing
• February 2025: President Ali said another North-West ferry was under consideration; the Kalliopi N was acquired later that year
• 2025 Budget allocated G$9.9bn for river transport; actual 2025 spend G$10.7bn; G$11.2bn allocated for 2026
• The 2026 plan does not identify funding for a purpose-built vessel to retire the MV Barima
• T&HD instead tendered further docking and rehabilitation of the Barima at an engineer's estimate of about G$124.5m; five bids received, G$105m to G$124m

Quotations

• “Age alone does not determine whether a ship is seaworthy, but an operating life spanning nearly nine decades raises legitimate questions about inspections, structural assessments, maintenance and the point at which replacement becomes more practical than repeated rehabilitation.”
• “The passenger list, cargo manifest and vessel certification documents have not yet been independently examined by this publication.”

Prior warnings recorded

• Compiles a documented chain of pre-disaster warnings and unkept commitments: (1) Port Kaituma residents calling for a newer and faster vessel as early as 2010; (2) by 2015 government officials publicly acknowledging the MV Barima and other North-West ferries were ageing and in urgent need of attention; (3) then Cabinet Secretary Joseph Harmon, 2015, saying the old vessels should not remain in service much longer; (4) Minister Juan Edghill telling Parliament (in the MV Ma Lisha budget debate) that the new ferry would replace the MV Barima and MV Kimbia on the Mabaruma/Morawhanna/Port Kaituma routes; (5) President Irfaan Ali, February 2025, saying another North-West ferry was under consideration. The article's own finding is that the 2026 Budget 'does not identify funding for a purpose-built vessel specifically intended to retire the MV Barima.'

Vessel facts recorded

• fact: Vessel records list the MV Barima as built in 1939, making it approximately 87 years old
• source: https://www.hgptv.com/87-year-old-mv-barima-remained-in-service-despite-replacement-plans/
• fact: Rehabilitated and returned to service in 2017; the G$150.6 million project covered hull, propellers and rudders, installation of two engines, improvements to passenger accommodation, and addition of safety equipment
• source: https://www.hgptv.com/87-year-old-mv-barima-remained-in-service-despite-replacement-plans/
• fact: Minister Edghill stated 116 passengers and crew were aboard with approximately 268 tonnes of cargo, and that the ferry was operating below its licensed limits
• source: https://www.hgptv.com/87-year-old-mv-barima-remained-in-service-despite-replacement-plans/
• fact: T&HD invited bids earlier in 2026 for further docking and rehabilitation of the Barima; engineer's estimate approximately G$124.5 million; five companies bid, from about G$105 million to G$124 million
• source: https://www.hgptv.com/87-year-old-mv-barima-remained-in-service-despite-replacement-plans/
• fact: MV Ma Lisha cost US$12.7 million, commissioned 2023 under a financing arrangement with India
• source: https://www.hgptv.com/87-year-old-mv-barima-remained-in-service-despite-replacement-plans/
• fact: Kalliopi N acquired 2025 for the Georgetown-Region One route; reportedly carries 284 passengers and 51 vehicles
• source: https://www.hgptv.com/87-year-old-mv-barima-remained-in-service-despite-replacement-plans/
• fact: 2025 Budget allocated G$9.9 billion for river transportation; actual 2025 spending reached G$10.7 billion; G$11.2 billion allocated for 2026
• source: https://www.hgptv.com/87-year-old-mv-barima-remained-in-service-despite-replacement-plans/

This page is a research summary prepared for comment and review. It is not the article. Copyright in the original remains with HGPTV Nightly News (Guyana); the full text is held only in the private research corpus from which this archive was compiled. Follow the link above to read it at the source.