Dutch firm secretly invited by Govt. among three bidders for MV Barima salvage

Sep 10, 2026 News

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– BK International bids lowest

(Kaieteur News) – B.K. International Inc. has submitted the lowest offer among three bidders vying for the contract to retrieve the wreck of the MV Barima, which capsized off Castle Flats, Essequibo Coast on nearly two months ago.

The tender opening took place on September 8, 2026, under MARAD file reference number 211/2026/34. The salvaging work is structured strictly on a “NO CURE NO PAY BASIS,” ensuring the chosen contractor will receive payment only upon the successful recovery of the vessel.

According to documentation seen by this publication, figures unsealed at the tender opening show B.K. International’s proposal undercut its local and international competitors by hundreds of millions of dollars. B.K. International Inc. offered a bid of $1,034,000,000 with a bid security of $15,600,000 backed by NAFICO. Industrial Fabrication Inc. offered a bid of $1,895,000,000 with a bid security of $28,500,000 backed by Premier. Netherlands-based firm KMS B.V. offered a bid of USD $2,035,100,000 with a bid security of USD $136,691 backed by KBC Bank.

The financial submissions follow weeks of growing public pressure and political friction surrounding the recovery process. Earlier this week, Kaieteur News reported that 25 days had passed since the deadline for Expressions of Interest (EOI) to salvage the MV Barima, yet the Government had still not disclosed which company or companies would undertake the recovery of the vessel. Opposition MP Ganesh Mahipaul condemned the delay as “wickedness” and “an insult” to the Guyanese people, particularly the families of the more than 100 people who lost their lives in what he said was the country’s largest tragedy in modern times.

The official timeline for the procurement process began when the Maritime Administration Department (MARAD) publicly advertised an EOI inviting qualified salvage companies to submit proposals. The process was advertised across state and private media, as well as MARAD’s social media platforms, from August 2 until August 14, 2026. MARAD firmly rejected claims that any firm had been pre-selected, issuing a statement asserting that no individual, company, or entity had been selected to undertake the salvaging of the MV Barima and emphasising that the process remained open and transparent.

At a recent news conference, President Irfaan Ali told reporters after being asked a question, that the EOI period had closed and that several companies were being shortlisted before being invited to submit prices for the recovery operation. President Ali noted at the time that the expressions of interest had closed and that those interests were being shortlisted by the agency before shortlisted entities would be invited to supply prices. The president estimated that 10 or more entities may have expressed interest, cautioning that he did not have the exact figure, and noted that companies were being assessed against established criteria with no distinction between local and international firms.

Attorney General and Minister of Legal Affairs Anil Nandlall, SC, had revealed that the price tag to salvage the sunken MV Barima could be between US$8M and US$10M. During his weekly programme ‘Issues in the News’, the Attorney General defended the government’s move to tender for the salvage operation. Before it was decided to salvage the 87-year-old ferry, which capsized on July 18th, leaving 73 confirmed dead and at least 30 still missing, the Irfaan Ali administration had been considering establishing a memorial at the site where the vessel sank.

“The president indicated that he met with the families of the persons who were missing and they requested that they ought not to be raised. Apparently, the families changed their minds and they requested that the boat be raised. The government said, okay, we will raise the boat. It will cost somewhere between 8 to 10 million US dollars. A tender is out to salvage the boat,” Nandlall said.

However, this contradicts what this publication reported in early July, when the government appeared to be preparing the nation for the possibility that the sunken MV Barima would never be recovered. Prime Minister (Ret’d) Brigadier Mark Phillips had stated that bringing in additional foreign divers “will not change the situation” and that the state-owned vessel was “likely to remain there as is” on the seabed off the Essequibo coast near Iron Punt. His remarks, made after a sitting of the National Assembly, come even as grieving relatives continued to demand a full salvage operation, insisting their loved ones deserve every possible effort to recover the vessel and any remains still trapped inside.

“In terms of the actual raising of the vessel, I don’t think we’ve contacted anybody to raise the vessel,” Phillips stated. “If you listen to the interview with the French, the whole issue of raising the vessel is not being forwarded at this stage because it’s difficult to do that exercise now. The vessel is likely to remain there as is.”

The shift toward a permanent memorial, outlined in a draft “Declaration of Agreement” circulated to grieving families on Saturday and seen by this publication, triggered backlash from relatives of those still missing. Relatives accused authorities of attempting to wrap up salvage operations prematurely and potentially influencing the upcoming Commission of Inquiry (COI) into the maritime disaster.

The administration’s stance represents a shift from earlier public commitments. Regarding the controversial document sent to the victims’ families, Phillips maintained that the government is merely testing options. “So, if they receive letters, it’s just for discussion as to the way forward, making it a memorial site if that is the wishes of the family,” Phillips said. “The government is prepared to listen to them, and maybe that’s why the letters went out.” It was only after the public backlash, that the government’s stance on raising the vessel shifted in favour of doing so.

MARAD’s Request for Proposals documents outline the considerable technical challenges involved in recovering the vessel. The 38.6-metre ferry lies in soft seabed mud at a depth of between 13 and 15 metres (approximately 42 to 49 feet). Poor underwater visibility, strong currents, and tidal streams are among the harsh maritime conditions, contractors must contend with. Prospective salvors were required to submit detailed methodologies covering the various stages of the operation, demonstrate between five and 10 years of successful salvage experience in Guyanese or Caribbean waters, and show the technical capacity to recover and stow the vessel upright on a barge while preserving forensic evidence required by the Commission of Inquiry.

The disaster itself occurred late on the night of Saturday, July 18, 2026, when the 87-year-old state-owned ferry capsized and sank while en route from Georgetown to Port Kaituma. The vessel encountered severe difficulties and issued a distress call around 11:00 PM off Castle Flats, approximately 10 nautical miles off the Essequibo Coast. Passengers reported that a massive wave struck the ship, causing water to rapidly flood the cargo hold and forcing the vessel to tilt and roll over. Although the official manifest recorded 133 individuals on board, subsequent search and rescue operations and investigations revealed an estimated 179 people were aboard, exposing an illicit cash-for-seats scheme at the port. Dozens of lives were lost in the tragedy, leading to an official Commission of Inquiry and multiple murder charges against key crew members.

The fallout from the sinking has sparked debate over how the wreck should be handled. Leader of the Opposition, Azruddin Mohamed, had previously called on the government to authorise the recovery of the Barima at no cost to the state, using specialised international salvage teams. Mohamed criticised earlier suggestions that the vessel could remain submerged and later be turned into a memorial, describing such proposals as “premature and wicked” and “an act of cruelty.”

He said families had reached out to him saying they want the bodies of their loved ones, even if all that remain are bones, to bring closure, adding that the government had not exhausted every possible option or sought international help with the expertise and equipment before talking about turning the site into a memorial.

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• B.K. International Inc, bids, MV Barima, salvage

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