The Maritime Administration Department (MARAD) has confirmed that neither Opposition Leader Azruddin Mohamed nor the high-powered “go-fast” vessel detained following a late-night Joint Services operation was licensed or otherwise authorised to operate, adding a new regulatory dimension to the incident that unfolded on the Demerara River Tuesday night.
In a statement Wednesday, MARAD said its records showed that both Mohamed and the fast craft reportedly owned by him lacked the required authorisation.
“Based on its records, neither the fast craft nor Mr. Azruddin Mohamed is licensed or otherwise authorised to operate,” the maritime regulator said.
The confirmation follows an incident at approximately 9:45 p.m. Tuesday when a routine joint maritime patrol involving the Guyana Defence Force Coast Guard and Guyana Police Force encountered the vessel entering the Demerara River.
According to authorities, the vessel was signalled by siren to stop but allegedly failed to comply and continued at high speed, prompting a pursuit. It was eventually intercepted at a wharf at Friendship, East Bank Demerara.
Authorities also reported seeing a bag being thrown from the vessel during the pursuit, although it has not been established who allegedly threw it or what it contained. Efforts were being made to recover it.
Mohamed and several We Invest in Nationhood (WIN) parliamentarians had earlier travelled to Port Kaituma and Mabaruma, where they met survivors and relatives of victims of the MV Barima tragedy.
A lengthy engagement subsequently developed between the WIN parliamentarians and law enforcement ranks at Friendship over the search and detention of the vessel.
The craft was eventually escorted to the Police Marine Wing at Ruimveldt and searched. No illegal items were reportedly found aboard. However, when authorities requested the vessel’s certificate of registration and fitness as well as the captain’s licence, Mohamed was unable to produce the documents at the time.
Mohamed was subsequently detained by police. His party has rejected aspects of the authorities’ account of the incident and alleged that the operation amounted to political harassment. WIN has also disputed that the vessel was intercepted following a pursuit, maintaining that it was already docked when law enforcement ranks arrived.
MARAD, however, said Wednesday that operating vessels without the required licences and registration poses serious safety risks.
The agency said the operation of vessels by unlicensed persons, or the use of unlicensed or unregistered vessels, creates a “serious and unacceptable risk” to passengers, crew, other waterway users, property and the marine environment.
“These activities contribute to preventable maritime accidents and incidents and compromise the safety of Guyana’s waterways,” MARAD said.
The agency warned that persons operating vessels without the necessary licences or authorisation could face enforcement action under applicable laws and regulations.
MARAD also clarified the Coast Guard’s authority to conduct maritime enforcement, saying that under the Defence Act, Cap. 15:01, the Coast Guard is empowered to enforce laws relating to maritime safety and security.
Tuesday night’s incident was not the first recent encounter involving Mohamed and maritime authorities over vessel documentation.
Earlier this month, a vessel transporting Mohamed and other WIN parliamentarians to Moruca was stopped during a routine Coast Guard inspection on the Pomeroon River. Authorities said at the time that the captain could not produce the required vessel and operator documentation, and the vessel was prevented from continuing until the necessary requirements were met.
MARAD on Wednesday renewed its call for vessel owners, operators and other users of Guyana’s waterways to ensure their vessels and operations comply with all applicable legal and safety requirements.