Johnel Mc Intosh, a survivor of the MV Fair Chance tragedy, told the Trinidad Guardian Media last week that he is disappointed and disgusted with the recovery operations.
Mc Intosh, who was the vessel’s engineer, told Guardian Media, “I am disgusted, because from on Saturday to now, we were 20 miles off Trinidad and Tobago, and we told the Coast Guard that the boat was floating high on the waters and we knew that these guys were alive, but everything was snail pace.”
The MV Fair Chance went down in waters five miles off Trinidad on Saturday, April 2, after it encountered rough seas.
“I am disappointed in the governments of St Vincent, Grenada and Trinidad and Tobago. They are not doing enough to recover these men’s bodies from the vessel under the water, we only recovered one, and we need these men’s bodies to return to their families. Even our agent is not saying anything. We are very disappointed in this arrangement and are now coming here today (Friday) thinking that we can get our crewmates out. We are told that operations are cancelled”, Guardian Media quoted Mc Intosh.
As of Sunday, April 10, one body was recovered from the sunken vessel and identified as that of Quincy Baptiste.
“We hope that there would have been air pockets for the men. However, when the boat came to Chaguaramas, the authorities took over and now the boat is fully submerged, reducing all chances for the men to survive,” he said.
Earlier reports stated that the vessel was overloaded. Hence it’s overturning. Mc Intosh sought to dispel such while speaking to Guardian Media.
“The vessel was not overloaded; it was a state of emergency where the cargo shifted due to bad weather and seas. The cargo shifted to one side, making the boat shift and overturn. Our vessel was not overloaded because when you saw the marker on the vessel, it was high, which can tell how much load is on the vessel.”
The bodies of Dexter Chance, Owen Prescott, Eric Calliste and Devon Celestine are still to be recovered.
The seven crew members of St Vincent and Grenadines and Grenada were en route to St Vincent to deliver supplies when rough seas caused the boat to overturn five nautical miles off Monos Island on April 2.
