Justice Godfrey Smith to lead Commission of Inquiry into MV Barima tragedy

The five-member Commission of Inquiry into the MV Barima tragedy will be led by Justice Godfrey Phillip Smith of Belize and includes regional and international commissioners versed in maritime operations and law.

The other members of the Commission are: Captain Hamada Fouda, Nyree Dawn Alfonso, Rear Admiral (Ret’d) Hayden Pritchard, and Dr. Andrzej Jasionowski.

Godfrey P. Smith serves as the High-Level Representative on Law and Criminal Justice for Caribbean Community (CARICOM) and an ad-hoc Justice of Appeal in the Eastern Caribbean. He also served on Guyana’s Presidential CoI into the 2020 General and Regional Elections.

Captain Hamada Fouda is a senior maritime surveyor and compliance auditor with the Maritime Authority of Jamaica.

Nyree Dawn Alfonso of Trinidad and Tobago, is an experienced attorney-at-law renowned for her expertise in admiralty and maritime law.

Rear Admiral (Ret’d) Hayden Pritchard served as Chief of Defence Staff of the Trinidad and Tobago Defence Force, and has decades of experience in security and maritime operations.

Dr. Andrzej Jasionowski of Poland practices forensic naval architecture and marine engineering, and has advised on investigations into several major maritime investigations.

The announcement of the Commission was made by President Dr. Irfaan Ali on Sunday morning.

“The terms of reference of the Commission of Inquiry will be establishing the full circumstances surrounding the tragedy, including the causes and all other factors relating to the loading of the vessel, the boarding of passengers, conditions onboard, the capsizing and sinking of the MV Barima and any other related matters,” President Ali said.

Additionally, the Commission is also expected to: review the adequacy and effectiveness of the search, rescue and recovery operations, assess whether applicable laws, regulations, standards and operating procedures for ferries were complied with, and determine whether acts of negligence, misconduct, dereliction of duty or any other failures by any individual entity or institution contributed to or caused the disaster.

The seaworthiness of vessel, maintenance history and competence of the crew will also be assessed.

At the conclusion of the CoI, the President said, there shall be recommendations for any legislative, regulatory, institutional and operational reforms needed together with any other measures to improve maritime safety, improve emergency response and preventing the recurrence of any other tragedy.

The announcement follows the sinking of the MV Barima, one of the deadliest maritime disasters in Guyana’s history, which claimed dozens of lives and prompted calls for a full independent investigation.