The Maritime Administration Department (MARAD) is still investigating the January 22nd boat collision on the Mazaruni River that claimed the lives of 10 men.
Director General of MARAD Claudette Rogers said yesterday that ground men are performing investigations at Crab Falls, the location where the accident occurred.
So far, she said, it has been determined that a number of regulations from the Guyana Shipping Act, the River Navigation Act as well as the regulations governing licensing and collisions were breached by one of the boat captains, who has been released from police custody on an unknown amount of bail.
Keanu Amsterdam, 17 and his brother Ricky Bobb, 27; Deon Moses, 33; Kevon Ambrose, 25; Francisco Olivera Alves, 48; Christopher Ramnarine, 21; Zahir Baksh, 34; Jewan Seeram, 48; Ulrick Grimes, 39; and Jermaine Calistro, 27 all perished after the boat they were travelling in collided with another boat at Crab Falls Mazaruni.
The official report on the collision confirmed that the small open boat “Dube” collided with another small open boat “Mattrani” in the Mazaruni River as they were navigating the point of an island. The Dube, with 10 persons on board and a quantity of cargo, was travelling from Parika and was destined for Puruni, while the Mattrani was leaving Puruni and was destined for Parika through Bartica, when the accident occurred, the report said.
There is no confirmed date as to when a report will be ready for possible charges to be brought.
Meanwhile, Rogers said that 24 marine cadets have been trained to patrol the Mazaruni River and 12 of them will become inspectors. She said that safety is the main priority of MARAD and so drastic measures have been taken to ensure that fewer accidents occur on the rivers.
“We cannot completely stop boat accidents, but what we can do is to ensure that boat drivers are sensitised about the dangers and precautions needed to be taken when transporting passengers from one destination to another,” she said.
Rogers noted that MARAD has made a number of mandatory checks in the Pomeroon, Charity and Mazaruni districts to ensure that captains are licensed and certified.
She added that seminars were held at some of the schools in the districts to provide awareness about the safety measures when travelling in boats.
Rogers also said that since the two recent accidents—in January and in December last year—a large number of unlicensed captains have showed interest in having boats certified.
She encouraged boat captains who are not licensed to operate their boats to visit MARAD and make the necessary arrangements to be certified.
When asked about warning signs, which were recommended in light of the December 18, 2012 Pomeroon River collision, Rogers said, “Signage is another priority that is on our agenda and we have workers who have started to pinpoint where the signs will be placed.”
Boat captain Harrinarine Bhagwandin and his nephew Vincent Singh, 40, both of Abrams Creek; Velda Rodriguez, 50, and her son Shawn Rodriguez, 14, also of Abrams Creek; and Rajkumar, 14, and his sister, Amerita Singh, 10, of Charity Housing Scheme, Essequibo Coast, died on December 18, 2012, after the boat they were travelling in collided with another boat, owned by the regional administration, in the Pomeroon River. The surviving boat captain, Hytilall Ramandahin, 58, of Dredge Creek, Upper Pomeroon River, was charged with manslaughter last week.
