A magistrate in Guyana has postponed the murder trial of three maritime workers connected to the sinking of the MV Barima, after prosecutors said they needed further time to compile and disclose evidence to the defence. The hearing took place on Monday at the Charity Magistrate's Court and represents the latest step in proceedings following what has been described as the country's most fatal maritime disaster in recent memory.

Senior Police Legal Advisor Mandel Moore told Magistrate Ravindra Mohabir that disclosure to the defence remained incomplete. Moore said he had received authorisation to prosecute the case, which is being treated as indictable, but that witness statements and documentary exhibits still needed to be finalised before they could be handed over. Mohabir granted the request and adjourned the matter until 7 September, when the state is expected to present its full disclosure. That step will open paper committal proceedings, through which the court will determine whether there is sufficient evidence to send the case to the High Court.

The three defendants appeared at Monday's hearing via video link, handcuffed throughout. All are employees of the Transport and Harbours Department. Kevin Price, 40, was the vessel's captain. Rondell Dwayne Roberts, 42, served as chief mate. Delon Granderson, 33, held the position of goods superintendent. They face joint murder charges relating to the deaths of 68 identified victims and an unspecified further number of passengers whose identities have not been confirmed.

Prosecutors allege the deaths occurred on 18 July 2026, when the ferry sank roughly 9.3 nautical miles off the Essequibo Coast. The Prime Minister has previously stated that two crew members, including the captain, tested positive for marijuana in the aftermath of the sinking, though this detail has not yet been tested in court.

The MV Barima was a passenger and cargo ferry travelling from Georgetown to Port Kaituma when it capsized on the night of 18 July. An estimated 179 people were aboard at the time. Some passengers were trapped inside the hull as it went down, while others were thrown into the Atlantic. A rescue operation involving military, maritime and local fishing vessels pulled 76 survivors from the water. The confirmed death toll stands at 73, and authorities have said around 30 people remain unaccounted for.

Separately from the criminal case, the government has established a five-member Commission of Inquiry to examine the wider circumstances behind the sinking. Its remit covers the vessel's seaworthiness, the emergency protocols in place at the time and the adequacy of regulatory oversight of the ferry service. The Director of Public Prosecutions has said the inquiry and the criminal trial will run on separate tracks and will not affect one another's findings or timeline.

The adjournment leaves the accused in custody as they await the September hearing. Family members of victims have attended earlier court sessions, and the case has drawn sustained public attention given the scale of the loss of life and the continued search for missing passengers along the coast.

The Transport and Harbours Department, which employed all three defendants, has not issued a fresh statement since the hearing. Questions remain over the vessel's maintenance history and the training given to its crew, matters that are expected to feature heavily once the Commission of Inquiry begins taking evidence. For now, the criminal proceedings hinge on the prosecution completing disclosure ahead of next month's date, a process that will shape whether the case proceeds to a full trial in the High Court.

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