The captain and one of the crewmembers of the Capt Saif, which capsized in the Waini River last Saturday night, say the vessel was overloaded and warnings about it were not heeded.
“I did mention to them that it look too fully loaded before we left and also while we were on our way but the charter tell me that he does usually take more stuff than that… and as such did not pay any attention to what I say,” said the captain of the ill-fated vessel, who would only identify himself as “Vishal.”
The captain and three crewmembers were rescued after the incident, which is now under investigation by the Maritime Administration Department (MARAD).
MARAD said in a statement issued on Monday that Captain “Nyshel Singh,” purser/charterer Mr. Reid and two sailors comprised the crew. The boat’s cargo included bags of rice, flour, sugar as well as beverages, cooking gas and drinking water.
According to MARAD, investigations so far have revealed that during the voyage, the vessel, which departed from the Guyana Fertilizer Company Limited Wharf, at Georgetown and was destined for Port Kaituma, Region One, developed a list, which the crew attempted to rectify.
However, the vessel was unstable, MARAD said, while adding that at approximately 10:45PM it began listing rapidly to the port side. Although the crew then jettisoned some of the cargo their efforts were futile as the vessel continued listing and capsized, the statement said.
Three of the four crew members, including the captain, the purser/charterer and a seaman, were rescued by a passing fishing boat on Sunday, MARAD said. The fourth crewmember, Guy Rausch, was rescued by a different vessel on Sunday.
The statement added that at this early stage of the investigation, the evidence available suggests that the vessel may have been loaded with poor stability, thus it was unstable.
Vishal, who has 14 years’ experience as a boat captain, said the voyage was his maiden one with the vessel. The capsizing was also a first for him.
According to the man, Capt Saif left fully loaded with cargo and although he mentioned to the charterer that it appeared to be overloaded no one paid any heed to him.
He recounted that it was when they were travelling west from the Pomeroon River heading to the North West that the crew members noticed that the vessel was listing towards the port side. As a result, Singh said he advised the charterer that they should started offloading some of the cargo but he noted that the man started to unpack items from one side to the other instead, making things worse. He added that the man eventually decided to throw some of the cargo overbroad. “By time he decided to offload some of the stuff, it was too late because the boat started sink from the left side and then overboard,” Vishal said.
According to Vishal, Rausch panicked during this time and grabbed a life ring and jumped overboard. However, because of the strong current at the time he was pushed away, while his fellow crewmembers, who also managed to grab safety gear, clung to the vessel.
Vishal said they floated until he spotted a fishing boat passing just after midday on Sunday. “I take out a red shirt I was wearing and waved and persons on the fishing boat see and rescued us,” he noted.
The owner of the Capt Saif, Chatterpaul Balkissoon, called ‘Hanso,’ told Stabroek News that the vessel was laden with a quantity of items, including food stuff and beverages which was to be distributed in the North West. He estimated his losses to be approximately $42M.
When questioned as to what may have caused the vessel to capsize, Balkissoon said he would not be able to say.
This newspaper was told that the vessel usually made two trips every month to the North West.
‘Determined to survive’
Meanwhile, like the captain, Rausch, who has been a sailor since the 1980s, said that it was his first trip with the vessel.
Rausch, 54, of Lot 31 Delph Street, Campbellville, Georgetown, and a single parent of four children, also stated that the vessel was overloaded with cargo and he said he learnt that before departure the vessel was ordered not to sail unless some goods were offloaded. However, he said no one paid attention to the instructions given and the boat set off.
He added that when the vessel was in the vicinity of the Pomeroon River, the captain said the boat was listing and efforts were made to balance it by unpacking cargo from one side to the other. However, this didn’t work and as the boat began to capsize Rausch said he decided to jump from it because he feared for his life and was determined to survive.
In addition to a life ring, Rausch added that he also geared himself with a gas cylinder and four bottles of drink, which he kept in his pockets.
After he jumped, Rausch said he heard his fellow crewmembers shouting for him but he was unable to locate them although he saw shadows. He refused to swim towards the shadows because he feared getting injured while navigating the cargo that was floating.
According to Rausch, he did not panic as he was too busy thinking of ways to survive. He said he spent hours floating in the water. On Sunday morning, he recalled spotting the sun rising and realising that land was nearby but although he tried to swim towards land he was constantly pushed back by the heavy waves.
“I made three attempts to get on land while I was there but the tide just push me back,” said Rausch.
However, during his last attempt he spotted a fishing vessel. He said he signaled it by releasing gas from the cylinder he had kept near him. A member on the fishing vessel, spotted the smoke and informed his other crewmembers that someone was floating. However, the vessel did not go towards Rausch, who instead swam towards it, after which he was rescued.
Rausch said there are not enough words to thank the persons who saved his life and he will forever be grateful to them. He added that although he had never experienced such an ordeal in his life, he is not traumatised and plans to return to work at sea soon in order to provide for his children.
At the same time, he is hoping that the authorities thoroughly investigate the incident and take the necessary steps at least to set an example to other boat owners who may want to put people lives at risk to make money.
