Guyana search-and-rescue plan activated after MV Barima distress alert

During testimony before the Presidential Commission of Inquiry into the MV Barima tragedy, Rickford Samaroo, Director of Air Navigation Services at the Guyana Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA), stated that Guyana’s Aeronautical Search and Rescue Plan (SAR) was activated minutes after the vessel emitted a distress alert.

Samaroo provided the Commission with several documents, including a Search and Rescue Status Incident Report, a transcript of communications between Roraima Airways Flight 401 and air traffic control, and the current SAR plan. He explained that the search-and-rescue system is manned 24 hours a day and that a dedicated Rescue Coordination Centre is activated during emergencies to take full responsibility for coordinating rescue missions.

Records indicate the aviation Rescue Coordination Centre was activated at approximately 1:10 a.m. following the distress alert. The SAR plan, which was last amended in 2024, establishes a framework for coordinating operations among various agencies, including the Guyana Defence Force, the Civil Defence Commission, maritime authorities, and aircraft operators.