The captain of the ill-fated MV Barima and two other senior crew members appeared in court on Tuesday charged with murder in connection with one of Guyana’s deadliest maritime tragedies in recent history.

The murder charges were laid two days after President Irfaan Ali announced a Commission of Inquiry into the July 18 ferry disaster.

The inquiry, to be conducted by a panel of regional and international maritime experts, is expected to determine whether systemic failures contributed to the tragedy.

The confirmed death toll has risen to 73, while search and recovery operations continue off the Essequibo coast.

Sixty-seven people, including 15 children were rescued from the ferry which was carrying 179 passengers, even though the passenger manifest had only 133 on record.

Captain Kevin Price, also called “KP”, 40, of Melanie Damishana, East Coast Demerara; Chief Mate Rondell Dwayne Roberts, 42, of Meadow Grove Public Road, East Bank Demerara; and Goods Superintendent Delon Granderson, 33, of Fellowship, West Coast Demerara, appeared before Chief Magistrate Judy Latchman at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Court.

The men were not required to enter pleas.

They were remanded to prison, and the matter was transferred to the Charity Magistrate’s Court, where it was adjourned to August 3, 2026.

In a statement, Guyana Police Headquarters said the charges were brought against the three Transport and Harbours Department employees following legal advice from the Director of Public Prosecutions.

The MV Barima capsized on the night of July 18 while en route from Georgetown to Port Kaituma in Region One.

To date, 73 people have been confirmed dead, 76 passengers and crew members were rescued, and at least 30 others remain missing.

Search and recovery operations are continuing approximately seven miles off the Atlantic coast near the mouth of the Pomeroon River, with teams focusing on the primary underwater wreck site, where visibility remains extremely poor.

Specialised remotely operated vehicles (ROVs) have been deployed to capture visual data and explore deep, hazardous sections of the seabed that remain inaccessible to divers. A team of 15 French military divers has been working alongside personnel from Guyana, Trinidad and Tobago, and Brazil.

The MV Barima was constructed in Scotland in 1939 and was widely reported to have been in a deteriorating structural condition. The vessel had been scheduled to undergo major dry-docking and critical repairs.

Maritime observers and critics contend that the vessel had long been used to transport heavy modern cargo and vehicles, despite having been originally designed as a 1930s riverboat with significantly lower load specifications.

Although the ferry’s captain and two senior crew members have been charged with murder, President Ali’s Commission of Inquiry is expected to examine the circumstances surrounding the sinking and determine whether broader operational or systemic failures contributed to the disaster.