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GEORGETOWN, Guyana (GINA) -- The Maritime Administration Department (MARAD) of Guyana’s Ministry of Public Works has indicated that, having exhausted all possible courses of action available, it has decided to end the search operations for the missing cargo vessel ‘Oliver L’.

However, the agency said it is willing to work with other organizations or follow up any possible leads in the event that any pertinent information on the missing vessel and/or its crew is revealed.

MARAD said it has been mandated by Public Works Minister Robeson Benn to undertake an inquiry into this incident and that the police have also been notified.

On December 21, 2011, MV “Oliver L” captained by Captain Wexton Andrews, 33, departed Port-of-Spain, Trinidad and Tobago, and was scheduled to arrive in Georgetown at about noon on December 24, 2011. On board were two other crew members: Ramdat Roopnarine, 38, and Clad Burnett, 55.

MARAD was only notified of the incident on December 31 by the vessel’s operator, Johnny Ramdass. Consequently, on January 1, Benn, summoned a meeting at the Maritime Search and Rescue Co-ordinating Centre (MRCC), with representatives from MARAD and the Guyana Coast Guard to determine a plan of action.

Coast guards of Trinidad and Tobago and Venezuela as well as lighthouse personnel, fishermen, national mariners, all other seagoing vessels, transiting aircraft and other stakeholders were notified of the missing vessel.

Searches were conducted for the vessel and its crew, and while this was going on the families of the missing crew and the media were kept up to date with the process.

MARAD said that after one month of searching there has been no sighting of the vessel and crew, or credible information has been received.

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