Second trawler explosion victim dies

Jul 28, 2010 News

– body of other seaman still to be recovered

A second seaman from the ill-fated MV Captain Tom has died from burns he sustained during last Sunday’s explosion onboard the unregistered vessel.
The owner of the vessel, Mr. Sasesankar, confirmed that 46-year-old Rameshdat Misir Narine, called ‘Barrat’, of Lot 135 First Street, De Willem, West Coast Demerara, succumbed yesterday morning at a Paramaribo, Suriname hospital.
Mr. Sasesankar, also known as ‘Charlie’, also told Kaieteur News that he had given a statement to Suriname police officials.
A third crew member, identified as Sharief Khan, is also being treated in the Dutch-speaking republic for burns he sustained during the mishap.
One report indicates that Narine was badly burned when he ran into the engine room to alert his colleague, Ravi Sankar Ragoonauth, of the fire.
The 39-year-old Ragoonauth is believed to have been trapped on the blazing vessel, which subsequently sank.
No trace of the seaman or the vessel has been found.
When Kaieteur News visited Narine’s De Willem home yesterday relatives were holding a religious ceremony for him. However, they told Kaieteur News that they had heard no news about his fate, and that the seaman’s wife and daughter had travelled to Suriname.
Relatives of the still-missing seaman, Ravi Ragoonauth, are also in Suriname.
They have expressed dissatisfaction with the answers they have received about the circumstances surrounding his death.
According to vessel owner Mr. Sasesankar, he was informed that a generator caught fire. However, other reports suggest that the men were pumping fuel when an explosion occurred.
The businessman also told Kaieteur News that he had recently purchased the vessel in the US and was having it transported to Suriname to sell it when the tragedy occurred.
In a statement issued Monday, officials from the Ministry of Agriculture’s Fisheries Department said that the vessel is not registered by that entity. As such, the vessel was not entitled to engage in any fishing activities within Guyana and is not recognized as a fishing vessel licensed to fish in Guyana’s Exclusive Economic Zone.
According to reports, Ragoonauth was in the engine room, and the other three crew members were on the deck when the boat burst into flames.
Two crew members immediately jumped overboard. However, Narine, called ‘Barrat’, reportedly ran into the engine room to inform Ragoonauth about the fire.
It is alleged that by the time the man exited the engine room, the vessel was almost engulfed in flames, and Narine, Ramlall Ramjattan (the captain) and Sharief Khan jumped overboard.
They were rescued by Surinamese Coast Guards and a fishing vessel.

No ban on Brazil chicken – Agri Ministry

– but importers need certificates

The Ministry of Agriculture says that it has not placed a ban on importation of chicken from Brazil.
However, such imports are subjected to meeting sanitary requirements and fulfilling requirements of the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA) for trade, which includes paying the relevant duty.
So far, the Ministry said it has not received any application for phyto-sanitary certificates to import poultry meat.“Persons interested in importing poultry can apply through the Ministry of Tourism, Industry and Commerce to import chickens into Lethem or any other location.”
Yesterday, a report in a daily newspaper, said that Customs officials in Lethem were not allowing chicken to enter Guyana from Brazil.
Lethem heavily depends on that neighbouring country for some food supplies.
With the Georgetown/Lethem trail in a terrible condition from heavy rains, the situation has reportedly been a problem for residents of that border area.
The Ministry yesterday urged Region Nine residents and others to seriously consider entering the poultry business.“However, farmers and other entrepreneurs in Region Nine are encouraged to pursue business opportunities associated with poultry production.
The Ministry of Agriculture has been working closely with such farmers to develop their business ventures and will be willing to support large scale poultry enterprises which will create jobs and other opportunities for farmers and other residents in Region Nine.”