Latest update September 15th, 2026 10:20 AM
Jul 30, 2026 Dem Boys Seh, Features / Columnists
(Kaieteur News) – Dem boys seh if gaff coulda raise ship, de M.V. Barima woulda done park up pon dry land by now, getting fresh paint and waiting fuh passengers. Every roadside engineer, Facebook professor and WhatsApp admiral done become expert in marine salvage overnight.
Half de population got one magic solution or another. If yuh listen long enough, yuh gon believe salvaging a 2,000-ton vessel is easier than pulling a cart from a trench.
One bright spark seh all yuh got to do is shove big airbags inside de hold and pump dem up. Dem boys ask one simple question: “How yuh putting airbags inside a submerged hold when divers could barely see dem own hand in front dem face?”
It sound nice till reality knock pon de door. Before any airbag could work, somebody got to get inside damaged compartments, secure de bags properly, make sure dem doh slip out, and ensure de vessel structure strong enough to take de lifting force instead of tearing apart like old crocus bag.
Then come de second part of de operation: tie de Barima to a couple barges at low tide, wait till high tide, and—presto! —de sea itself gon allow de vessel to be towed.
Dem boys seh that one sound like something straight outta Hollywood. Trouble is, de ocean ain’t does read movie scripts.
First, high tide don’t suddenly produce unlimited lifting power. De extra water level might do little more than give everybody false hope.
Second, barges got lifting limits too. If de combined weight of de vessel, trapped water, mud suction and damaged structure exceed what de barges could safely handle, all yuh might end up doing is stressing de barges, snapping straps or causing de wreck to shift in dangerous ways. And third, de Barima got to remain balanced.
Dem boys seh imagination is a wonderful thing. It build castles in de sky and ships pon dry land. But real marine salvage don’t run pon wishful thinking. It run pon engineering calculations, underwater surveys, tides, structural analysis, heavy equipment and plenty patience.
So until gaff become crane and opinion become floating dock, de professionals got to do what professionals always do. Because if talk alone coulda raise de Barima, de vessel woulda done wave goodbye to de seabed long time ago.
Talk half. Leff half.
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