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Sunken boat caught in fisherman’s seine belongs to local oil support company
Kaieteur News – A sunken aluminum boat that was fished out of the Atlantic Ocean with a brand new 15Hp outboard engine that became tangled in a fisherman’s seine last May is said to be the property of local petroleum support agency, Guyana Oil and Gas Support Services (GOGSSI). This information was confirmed by the company’s operations Director Damian Jordan, who highlighted the high probability of the small vessel belonging to the company.
Carl Chung near the boat he caught in his seine
Jordan told the newspaper that while GOGSSI owns small boats, they are hardly used because of the uncertainty of the waters where the company operates. He explained that the company would rent their boats and there is the likelihood of the vessel going down during one of those rentals. GOGSSI is in a partnership with Trinidad Offshore Fabricators Unlimited (TOFCO) providing oil and gas support services here. Jordan said that the joint venture uses larger boats to deliver the various services provided. But where the small boats are concerned, he reiterated that the company had not done much work with them for quite some time, and that they are there for rental purposes. “But like I said, the river is too uncertain for the size of that boat. They are available for rental,” Jordan confirmed.
He said nonetheless, “We do have two small boats, there is a possibility that it might be our boats that had the issue but it’s possible that it was rented to somebody or something like that.” The operations did confirm however that the boat was reclaimed by the company and everything is in working order.
Information reaching the Kaieteur News has alleged however, that the aluminum boat was being used by the company at the time of the incident. The information claimed that some seven persons were reportedly on board; five Guyanese workers that included welders attached to the Saipem Yard and two Trinidadians said to be part of the company’s management team. The newspaper was told that the boat had left the Guyana Shore Base Incorporated (GYSBI) location at Huston and was headed to Water Street when the incident occurred. While the passengers were all wearing lifejackets, it was said that there was “no actual operator as ordinary personnel was driving that boat…”
“They left and were on their way back to Water Street when a wave hit them around Marriot. A fisherman behind them noticed the calamity and tried to help, then the coast guard came.” “Persons involved were not compensated. They also paid the coast guards G$10,000 each as hush money,” a source close to the investigation alleged. When the boat was found, no one had come forth to claim the vessel. Police had said that they were trying to locate the vessel’s owners.
The fisherman, Carl Chung made the discovery on May 25. He said that he had felt his seine “tugging strongly” and thought he had caught a large sea creature. On further examination, he realized that it was a small aluminum boat with a brand new 15Hp outboard engine. Chung recounted that he made the “boat catch” around 19:30hrs at Fourth mouth, a fishing area located a few miles off the Georgetown shore. After strapping the boat to his own vessel, Chung proceeded to tow the boat to the Ruimveldt Police Wharf and left it in the care of ranks’ there.
Earlier reports said that the boat had sunk two days before Chung found it. Eyewitness recounted that four persons were on board the vessel at the time and were lucky to be rescued by a passing boat. It was said that a huge swell toppled the vessel throwing the occupants into the water.
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