Monrovia-August 12, 2021: The Management of the National Port Authority (NPA) has with immediate effect suspended George D. McGill, Pier Supervision at the Port of Monrovia on accounts of his involvement in the authorization of the sail of the vessel Niko Ivanka.

The NPA said McGill has been turned over for further probe to the Ministry of Justice, disclosing further that an internal investigation conducted, established that the suspended NPA employee without approval by the port management permitted the sail of the vessel which sank about six nautical miles off the coast of Marshall City.

It can be recalled that Niko Ivanka, a locally registered vessel trading between the port of Monrovia and Harper departed the port of Monrovia for Harper on Saturday, July 17, at about 6:00 A.M. with nine persons on the crew list and nine employees of the West African Examination Council (WAEC) Monrovia Office who were onboard as passengers.

The vessel, sunk off the coast of Marshall City, however, an overnight search and rescue operation saved a total of 12 sailors while the carcasses of few others were washed offshore Until now, the vessel itself has not been recovered.

“George D. McGill is the Pier Supervisor at the Port of Monrovia, he, without the approval and notification of the management, allowed the sailing of the wrecked vessel. And so the NPA constituted an internal probe committee and the committee has established that he did that without the approval of the NPA,” said Malcolm W. Scott Director for Public Relations at the NPA when he addressed journalists at a press conference on Wednesday.