Latest update March 21st, 2025 7:03 AM
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Corentyne River issues a cumbersome impediment
Sugar exports…
– Minister Persaud
All is progressing well at the new Skeldon Sugar Factory in Berbice, with the facility gradually phasing up its operation.
This is according to Minister of Agriculture Robert Persaud who said that at present the issue at hand is the Surinamese demands relating to the use of the Corentyne River.
Minister of Agriculture Robert Persaud
According to Persaud, the issues present a cumbersome impediment that would see increased costs for shipping.
Among other things, the Surinamese are demanding that the ships use captains from that country to traverse the Corentyne River.
Persaud did point out that the Foreign Affairs Ministry is actively engaged in the pursuit of Guyana’s interest and a meeting has been scheduled in Nickerie sometime in the near future to further negotiate on the issue.
On October 14, 2008, an incident took place on the Corentyne River where several
Surinamese naval vessels intercepted, boarded, seized and transported a Guyanese vessel,
the Lady Chandra I, to a Surinamese Port in Nickerie.
The vessel was on its way to the Springlands wharf in Guyana to uplift and transport a shipment of bulk sugar for export.
Guyana’s reaction was swift, but peaceful, with a Note Verbal being dispatched to the Surinamese Ministry of Foreign of Affairs protesting the illegal and unwarranted detention of the vessel.
Guyana reminded Suriname of the fact that the Tribunal that dealt with the maritime boundary dispute had stated clearly that the use of force is to be eschewed and had condemned Suriname’s naval actions back in 2000.
In addition, Guyana also wrote to the Secretary General of CARICOM, informing him of the action by Suriname, and asking for CARICOM countries to be apprised. The Secretary General of the United Nations was also made aware of the situation.
Guyana’s contention has always been that since the river is an international boundary, it has all the attributes of such rivers in International Law meaning that until and unless it is mutually agreed otherwise by definitive delimitation, both States have equal rights to its use.
In the Arbitral Award of 1899 that settled the boundary with Venezuela, the Tribunal ruled that the boundary in the Mururuma, Amakura, Wenamu and Cotinga Rivers would be mid-stream. In the Award delimiting the boundary between Guyana and Brazil in 1904 it was ruled that ‘the frontier along the rivers Ireng (Mahu) and Takatu … remains fixed by the thalweg, and the said rivers will be open to free navigation of the two States bordering on it.
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