An aged Guyana government ferry which sank last month and killed more than 100 passengers was operating with a litany of serious mechanical and electrical defects that were not attended to despite complaints from captains and other crew members, documents show.

Leaked paper trails from inside the transport and harbors department paint a picture of a tragedy that was waiting to happen as major ship components like generators, engines, electrical systems, and water pumps had failed at various periods and were either not replaced in time or not at all.

The documents appear to seriously contradict a pronouncement from embattled Works Minister Juan Edghill that “there was no report of any kind that suggested the vessel was unseaworthy."

"It was in line for dry docking in keeping with the schedule,” he had told reporters.

The vessel sank about seven hours after leaving the capital on July 18. Nearly 80 passengers were rescued and about 100 were killed.

But the leaked documents showed that captains, chief engineers, and others had made several unfilled requests for major component replacements over a protracted period.

The vessel was 87 years old at the time and had been serving the Georgetown to Port Kaituma route in the northwest near Venezuela, one of the toughest, as most of the sailing time had to be in the choppy Atlantic before entering the Kaituma River. The trip, with tons of cargo, vehicles, heavy duty equipment, and dozens of passengers, usually takes up to 20 hours, officials say.

Local media houses have made much of the leaked documents and have harked back to statements made by Captain Kevin Price during an initial court appearance last month. Price had said that “everybody knows it is an old vessel the government gave me to work."

"The vessel does not have a radar. It is an 87-year-old vessel,” he told reporters before being led away by police. He and two other surviving crew members are facing multiple murder charges.

Last November, for example, the entire lighting system had broken down while the vessel was in Kaituma. Inspections showed burned wires and other defects. In February, crews in writing reported about 20 major defects on the vessel. These were stamped as being seen and received by officials at the transport department. Many of the surviving passengers had, meanwhile, publicly reported that the vessel had been taking in water and despite reports to crews, this was dismissed as “normal.” They also said that the vessel had stopped shortly after sailing while engineers battled to restart a faulty engine.

A commission of inquiry is preparing to commence public hearings to determine exactly what happened on July 18.