When the Nigerian-registered vessel MV DUKE OF NNEWI drifted ashore at Atorkor Slave Memorial Beach, near Anloga in the Volta Region of Ghana, little did the crew suspect that their real ordeal was yet to begin.
The villagers in their hundreds using 'monkey ladders' and other improved ladders got on board the vessel that was washed ashore and stole everything except the engine.
Even clothes for the crew were stolen and the policeman from Angloga station who went to prevent the looting also lost his wrist-watch.
Briefing our reporter at Atokor, the skipper of the ship, Captain Balogun Dare, said he set off from Lagos Apapa port in Nigeria for Tema with nine other crew members with general cargo on September 18, this year.
Barely three days later at about 0100hours GMT, 44 nautical miles from the Port of Tema, the ship's main engine developed a problem and immediately anchored and the captain relayed an emergency message to the Tema Port Control. The control station advised him not to move until he had instructions to do so.
The shipowner and an engineer used a speedboat to send the needed spare parts and on September 24, lifted the anchor and continued toward Tema.
After sailing for ten minutes, the chief engineer reported oil spillage onto the exhaust that could cause fire so he shut off the engine completely and dropped her anchors.
According to Captain Dare, as a result of the high under current in the Volta estuary the anchor was rendered ineffective. The tide then forced the 450 dead-weight Ton (DWT) vessel to drift toward the beach.
By this time, a message was sent to the Port Control at Tema for tugboats to rescue the vessel from grounding, stressing that if within 6 hours no help was forthcoming, the ship would be grounded.
The tugboat was prepared and a local agent made to supply food for the tug crew but a demand for (shito) could not be easily met so the tug had to wait.
Finally, the tugboat arrived the next day, ten hours after the last urgent message by which time MV DUKE OF NNEWI was partially grounded.
Even that, Captain Dare said he wanted the tug to tow it before it grounded but the tugmaster said that it could not move 1-5 nautical miles from the shore.
An hour later, hundreds of people, both young and old, swam from the Atokor Slave Memorial Beach, mounted the vessel and stole everything in sight including spoons and cooking utensils.
When the captain attempted to restrain the looters, some allegedly pulled knives and threatened him. One of the two unarmed policemen who went to their assistance had his wrist-watch taken from him.
Not even the presence of the Keta District Chief Executive, Mr. E.K. Vorkeh accompanied by the disaster officer, Mr. Mike Attah, a chief and an assemblyman could deter the looters.
Police at Anloga who had the report booked in the station diary prepared an extract dated September 29, 2001, 9:00am and handed it to Captain Balogun Dare.
The Tema Harbour master, Captain Ziem told reporters that the vessel had one anchor and that a report he received indicated that even that could not anchor the ship. Captain Ziem was quoted as saying that it has become the habit of coasters (referring to vessels plying the west coast) to ignore the use of anchors. This, he said, is very dangerous.
Captain Ziem said that the owners were advised to engage the services of AQUATER DIVING SERVICES to salvage the boat, an operation he said is very expensive.
The operations manager of the local agents, Mr. Godfrey, said all was under way for the engine to be dismantled at Akortor.
He denied reports that the vessel had sunk with the ten-man crew. According to him, the nine Nigerians and one Ghanaian, Anthony Quayson, are all alive.
