Dear Editor,
As Guyanese continue to grapple with the enormity of the tragedy surrounding the MV Barima and seek answers about the causes of this national disaster, it is worth remembering the vessel’s remarkable place in the country’s history. Beyond its regular service transporting passengers and cargo between Kingston, Georgetown, and Port Kaituma in the North West District, the MV Barima—alongside the much larger R.H. Carr—played a lifesaving role during the evacuation of Indian residents from the Wismar–Christianburg–Mackenzie districts in May 1964. For thousands of Guyanese, the MV Barima was far more than a ferry. In May 1964, it became a vessel of mercy, carrying terrified families away from racial violence to safety in Georgetown. Its role in that humanitarian mission remains one of the most significant chapters in the vessel’s history.
On Tuesday, May 26, 1964, after more than five hours traveling down the Demerara River, the packed MV Barima arrived in Georgetown at about 1:00 p.m., docking at the Transport and Harbours Department wharf built by Sprostons. On board were Indian refugees fleeing Wismar and Christianburg after the horrific racial violence of May 25, the deadliest day of targeted attacks against the minority Indian community. Upon arrival, volunteers from the British Guiana Red Cross Society and the Sanatan Dharma Maha Sabha distributed food and clothing to the exhausted passengers. Some refugees were transported by ambulance to area hospitals, while others were housed by relatives and friends of the victims. Many, however, remained at the Ruimveldt Industrial Estate, which had been converted into a temporary refugee camp.
Later that same day (May 26), the R.H. Carr, which departed Mackenzie at approximately 11:30 a.m., reached Georgetown carrying nearly 900 additional refugees. Sprostons had withdrawn the vessel from its regular route and placed it on a “mercy mission” after receiving an SOS call to evacuate the stricken community.
The evacuation did not end on May 26. Both the MV Barima and the R.H. Carr continued ferrying refugees from the violence-torn area in the days that followed. Reporting on May 28, the Mirror newspaper observed that, “like the previous two batches,” the latest arrivals consisted of men, women, and children who were “terrified, fatigued, and hungry” after their long journey from Wismar and Christianburg. Their stories, the newspaper noted, echoed those of the earlier refugees housed at the Ruimveldt Industrial Estate. The suffering was so overwhelming that the Mirror described the scene as “pathetic,” adding that “the toughest heart was moved with sympathy.”
The MV Barima accomplished its transportation mission, and its remains are worthy of preservation as a national historical monument—a tangible reminder of one of Guyana’s darkest moments and of the compassion shown during a time of national crisis. It has now become part of history itself, joining the R.H. Carr, whose decaying remains at Skull Point stand as a silent testament to a bygone era of river transport. Like the R.H. Carr, the Barima will also be remembered as a ship that, at a critical moment in Guyana’s history, helped save lives.