INTO THE FUTURE WITH OUR RIVERAIN AND OCEAN-GOING VESSELS

Aug 01, 2026 Letters

Dear Editor,

Without prejudice to the findings of the much-anticipated hearings at the Commission of Inquiry into the tragic loss of lives due to the sinking of the MV Barima to the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean, I, as an open-source opiniator, make bold to join with others who have made suggestions regarding the future of our riverain and ocean-going transportation system.

First, there is a need for regulatory reform at the Transport and Harbours Department (T&HD) with regard to its mission statement, mandate and operations, with specific reference to its riverain and ocean-going operations.

With specific reference to public transport for the riverain and ocean-going areas of Guyana, there is a need for a power sector overhaul.

Consideration should be given to the fact that the economic growth of the country is rapidly outdistancing the modernization of the riverain and ocean-going transport sector. The gap will continue to widen in the foreseeable future if it is not addressed urgently.

Riverain and ocean-going transport infrastructure needs to be rapidly modernized by digitizing everything from online ticket purchases and payments to the establishment of logistics platforms, digitized information inventory and registration systems, and health service provision.

Off-site monitoring and control centres should be established along routes plied by passenger and cargo vessels belonging to the T&HD. The centres should operate on a 24-hour, seven-day-a-week basis with uninterrupted service and off-site monitoring.

All available systematic and endemic evidence and practices of corruption in the public riverain and ocean-going transportation sector must be rooted out by utilizing more creative and realistic solutions.

The lengthy, complex and conventional process for awarding contracts for physical infrastructure development, especially for projects such as stellings and wharves, should be simplified and standardized, with transparency being a hallmark.

Considering that increasingly modern, more efficient and user-friendly riverain and ocean-going transportation facilities will be steadily introduced, efforts should be made to ensure the compatibility of stellings and wharves with the introduction of modern ferries plying the riverain and sea transport sector.

The design, construction and implementation of a new and modernized riverain and ocean-going transport architecture should involve scientific planning, geo-strategic considerations, population needs, timelines for completion, and the commissioning of projects. What obtains at present should be revamped.

The State should re-enter the air transport sector at subsidized costs for certain categories of passengers and residents, such as senior citizens, pensioners, students, teachers, medical personnel and single parents from Regions One, Seven, Eight, Nine and Ten. Care should be taken to ensure that the state-sponsored aviation sector is neither crowded out nor monopolized by the private aviation sector, nor captured by the business community or the gold mining sector.

Since ordinary citizens, due to affordability, are usually the ones who travel most by government-owned and operated ferries and other vessels to far-flung interior communities, a total revamp and upgrade in the quality of service rendered to passengers, including accommodation, toilet facilities, medical services and access to easy communication, should be given utmost priority.

A public riverain and ocean-going transport inspectorate, staffed with trained and professional personnel, should be established or reintroduced and activated. At least two such inspectors should be stationed on each ferry on a rotating basis.

Quality control inspections covering passengers on board, tonnage and storage of cargo, safety measures on board, and operational capacity in the event of emergencies before departure from Port Georgetown or Port Kaituma must be given priority.

Inspection of the captain’s diary and logbook, as well as both hard-copy handwritten and digitized copies of passenger manifests and cargo listings, must be made available at all times to inspectors on government-owned ferries and ocean-going vessels.

On-board waterproof cameras and recording systems should be installed in critical areas of government-owned riverain and ocean-going passenger and cargo vessels. Off-site viewing by trained IT specialists at specified locations should be available at all times.

Yours sincerely,

Clement J. Rohee

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Atlantic ocean, Clement Rohee, Letters, MV Barima, Transport and Harbours Department

One thought on “INTO THE FUTURE WITH OUR RIVERAIN AND OCEAN-GOING VESSELS”

Martin August 1, 2026 at 2:18 pm

Eloquently articulated!!!
Inspectors must be independent professionals armed with Auditing & investigative expertise & powers to suspend personnel or operations if lives or cargo in jeopardy or in danger!!! Smooth sailing should be ascertained to prevent unexpected natural disasters!!!

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