The Maritime Administration (MARAD) said the city businessman and his fast boat are not approved to operate in Guyana’s waters and that Mr Azruddin Mohamed was under arrest earlier Wednesday.
MARAD said neither the fast craft nor Mr Mohamed is licensed or otherwise authorised to operate, and that Mr Mohamed, who is Guyana’s Opposition Leader, refused to provide certificates of registration, fitness and the captain’s licence when asked by a law enforcement agent. Mr Mohamed said the boat was used to recover several bodies after the MV Barima sank on 19 July 2026.
The fast craft was searched in the presence of Mr Mohamed and five other We Invest in Nationhood parliamentarians, who were also searched, and then towed to the Guyana Defence Force Coast Guard at Ruimveldt.
MARAD cautioned that persons found operating vessels without the required licences or authorisation might be subject to enforcement action in keeping with the laws and regulations, and said the Guyana Defence Force Coast Guard is empowered to enforce the provisions of every law relating to maritime safety and security.
The MV Barima sank on 19 July 2026 about 10 miles off the Essequibo Coast. Mr Mohamed and several WIN parliamentarians returned from Port Kaituma and Mabaruma where they met survivors and relatives of persons who died when the MV Barima sank last month.
