Safety
MARAD tells the Barima inquiry it does not licence engineers
Demerara Waves reported that MARAD chief engineer Christopher Clarke told the MV Barima commission of inquiry the agency does not issue licences to engineers and promotes them by letters of appointment. He said there is no planned maintenance system that specifies what has to be done on MARAD vessels, and that no safety drills are done aboard the vessels.
Source: Demerara Waves (opens in a new tab)
Demerara Waves reported on 19 October 2026 that Christopher Clarke, chief engineer of Guyana’s Maritime Administration (MARAD), told the commission of inquiry into MV Barima that the agency does not issue licences to engineers and that they are promoted by letters of appointment. Clarke has worked at the agency for 20 years. The article says the vessel sank on 18 July about 10 miles off the Essequibo Coast.
Clarke said: “Basically, our qualifications is that when you go to the training, you’ll get letters from management saying that you’ve been to the training, and you’ll get confirmed as second engineer, you’ll get confirmed as third engineer.”
MARAD maritime officer Tremel Argyle told the commission he was an ordinary seaman before the MV Barima incident. He said he did a maritime course, provided his documents to the department, and was promoted.
Clarke said there was no Planned Maintenance System (PMS) for MARAD vessels that specifies what has to be done. He said maintenance is based on the working hours of the main engines, after which the oil and filter are changed. Demerara Waves said the chief engineer said no safety drills are done aboard the vessels.
MARAD captain Anthony Williams, confirmed as a captain in April 2026, said he transitioned two years ago from maintenance engineering. He sat an examination for the boat master’s grade three licence, then pursued the boat master grade two (2025) licence. Before his confirmation he manned pilot boats. He said he was never trained in search and rescue, and that he took part in a search and rescue operation at Crab Falls, Region Seven (Cuyuni-Mazaruni), in 2012.