Deputy Transport Minister calls for effective surveillance on Ghana waters

Following recent piracy attack on a Ghanaian fishing vessel, Marine 711, and the subsequent kidnapping of five sailors who were on board on the Ghanaian waters, the Deputy Minister for Transport, Daniel Titus-Glover has charged port officials to tighten security at Ghana’s ports, to avert similar incidents in the future.

Titus-Glover, who doubles as the Member of Parliament for the Tema East Constituency was speaking when he visited the Tema Fishing harbour to meet with management and security officials in charge at the facility.

The security agencies present at the engagement were drawn from the GPHA security, Ghana Navy, marine police among others.

Titus-Glover said the recent incident came as a surprise to the Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority (GPHA) because Ghana has been acclaimed as one of the best ports in terms of security at both Tema and Takoradi.

“Ghana has been acclaimed as one of the best ports in terms of security at both Tema and Takoradi, so what happened recently was a surprise to all of us,” he noted.

He indicated that as part of measures to halt these piracy attacks on Ghanaian waters, the GPHA will be collaborating with operators at sea to ensure that they abide by safety standards.

“Ghana Navy need to be supported in their patrols, and I think that Ghana Maritime Authority, and the Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority, have to support their boat with fuel to make sure they are able to protect our waters for us and all that. Internally, GPHA security will also be engaging the operators at sea with the support of the marine police and the Ghana Navy,” he said.

The General Manager of the Tema Fishing Harbour, KumiAdjei-Sam said they will intensify the control and regulation of the supply vessels, vessels at anchorage and high seas to curb the menace and make the fishing harbour a safe haven for vessels.

“We also going to intensify the background checks on all the sailors and workers that operate at the fishing harbour, because we believe that, before pirates will operate, they get information from some of them,” he stated.