'Floating disaster waiting to occur': former MV Barima captain alleges years of safety failures

What this source establishes

A second outlet carrying the former master Andrew Donald, published a day after HGPTV's account and covering the same allegations at greater length: twelve years of chronic overloading, inadequate watertight subdivision, bilge systems he says could not control flooding, a single-hull design he considers unfit for passengers, and delayed dry-docking. It is corroboration of what HGPTV reported, not a second witness — both rest on Donald alone. It adds his account of why he spoke when he did, and his statement that management "have the power to load, overload and set sailing time" and then "back-pedalled and left the captain in all the mess". He names nobody, nothing in it is independently verified, and this archive adopts none of it.

Key claims

• A second outlet on Andrew Donald, the former master, published a day after HGPTV's account of 29 July. **It corroborates the HGPTV report rather than adding a second witness** — both rest on Donald.
• [ALLEGATION] Donald describes the vessel as "a floating disaster waiting to occur" and alleges, over twelve years at the Transport and Harbours Department: chronic overloading; inadequate watertight subdivision; non-operational bilge pump systems; breaches of the SOLAS Convention; lack of functional emergency systems; a single-hull design unsuitable for passenger operations; and delayed dry-docking.
• On why he spoke when he did: "I was going to wait until the CoI concludes… out of respect for the loved ones that perished on the Barima", but "Seeing the news headlines today and hearing the wails of that captain activated the buried hatred and disdain that I have for my former place of employment."
• [ALLEGATION] On who controlled loading: "They have the power to load, overload and set sailing time for the vessels. But when something goes wrong, they all back-pedalled and left the captain in all the mess." He calls the charged men "scapegoats".
• On why he was not deterred: "There wasn't anything that they could do to me that they hadn't done already."
• **[UNRESOLVED] He names no official, department head or minister**, and the report does not say whether anyone ever responded to warnings he says he gave. **None of it is independently verified and this archive adopts none of it.** Three men are charged and untried and nothing here bears on their guilt or innocence.

This page is a research summary prepared for comment and review. It is not the article. Copyright in the original remains with Kiskadee Watch; 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.