Three female passengers helped deliver a baby boy aboard the MV Malisha early Saturday morning after a woman went into labour while the vessel was travelling off Guyana’s northwestern coast.
The mother, Pauline Cirus, and her newborn were subsequently transferred to a Coast Guard vessel and taken to Mabaruma Hospital for medical attention.
According to the Ministry of Public Works, Cirus began experiencing abdominal pain and contractions at approximately 1:10 a.m., while the ferry was 22.22 nautical miles off Shell Beach.
The captain issued a distress signal requesting Coast Guard assistance. As the emergency unfolded, passengers Daphne Williams, Martina Valenzuela and Lorna Joseph Beharry stepped forward to help.
With their assistance and support from the crew, Cirus delivered her son at 1:51 a.m.
The Guyana Defence Force (GDF), in a separate statement, said it deployed aerial and maritime assets after receiving the distress alert from the vessel near Waini Point, Region One.
Coast Guard personnel established contact with the captain, who confirmed that a passenger had gone into active labour and needed transport for urgent medical attention.
A Coast Guard team commanded by Petty Officer Wendell Walcott arrived to assist at 6:20 a.m., the ministry said.
The transfer took place 3.8 nautical miles off the Waini Inner Beacon, where relatively calmer waters allowed personnel to move the mother and newborn safely between vessels. Williams and Beharry accompanied them.
According to the GDF, its vessel transported the group to Kumaka, where an ambulance was waiting to take them to Mabaruma Hospital.
The Ministry of Public Works clarified that the distress call concerned the medical emergency and was unrelated to any mechanical fault, malfunction or danger involving the ferry itself.
Following the operation, the MV Malisha continued its journey to Kumaka, arriving safely at 9:30 a.m.
Public Works Minister Bishop Juan Edghill commended the captain, crew, Coast Guard team and the three women who assisted with the delivery. The ministry praised their composure, resourcefulness and care in protecting the mother and child.
