President Dr. Irfaan Ali has named the five-member Commission of Inquiry that will investigate the circumstances surrounding the MV Barima tragedy.
The announcement was made on Sunday during a Facebook video, where the President said the Commission is being established in keeping with his earlier promise to have an independent inquiry conducted under the Commissions of Enquiry Act.
Justice Godfrey Philip Smith of Belize will chair the Commission. He is the CARICOM High Level Representative for Law and Criminal Justice and also serves as an Ad Hoc Justice of the Eastern Caribbean Court of Appeal.
The other members are Dr. Andrzej Jasionowski of Poland, a naval architect and marine engineer who has provided advice on several major maritime disaster investigations; Captain Hamada Fouda, Senior Maritime Surveyor and Compliance Auditor with the Maritime Authority of Jamaica; Nairi Dawn Alfonso of Trinidad and Tobago, an attorney-at-law with expertise in admiralty and maritime law; and retired Rear Admiral Hayden Pritchard of Trinidad and Tobago, who has decades of experience in maritime operations and maritime security.
President Ali said the Commission will be allowed to determine its own procedures and method of work in keeping with its mandate.
The inquiry will seek to establish the full circumstances surrounding the capsizing and sinking of the MV Barima. This includes examining the loading of the vessel, the boarding of passengers, conditions on board, and any other factor linked to the tragedy.
The Commission will also review the search, rescue and recovery operation, including how agencies and other stakeholders responded, how well the response was coordinated, and whether the efforts were adequate and effective.
Another major part of the inquiry will focus on whether ferry laws, regulations, safety standards and operating procedures were followed.
The Commission will also be tasked with determining whether negligence, misconduct, dereliction of duty, institutional failure, or any other act or omission by an individual, agency, entity or institution contributed to the disaster.
The condition of the MV Barima will also come under scrutiny, including its maintenance history and seaworthiness. The inquiry will further examine whether weather, sea conditions, tides, currents, navigation, communication or other operational factors played a role in the tragedy.
President Ali said the competence, qualifications, training and conduct of the vessel’s master and crew will also be assessed, particularly in relation to maritime safety and emergency procedures.
Passenger management will form another key area of examination. The Commission will look at embarkation procedures, manifest preparation, possible overcrowding, cargo stowage, the availability and use of life-saving equipment, and whether passenger safety requirements were followed.
The Commission is expected to recommend changes to laws, regulations, institutions and operations where necessary. Those recommendations are intended to strengthen maritime safety, improve emergency preparedness and reduce the chances of a similar tragedy happening again.
President Ali said the legal instruments needed to formally establish the Commission are being finalised. Once completed, the Commission will begin its work in accordance with the law.
