The Ghana Maritime Authority (GMA) yesterday began a three-day sub-regional seminar on ship routing and safety in navigation for participants drawn from eight countries in West and Central Africa in Accra.
The participating countries included Ghana, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Cape Verde, Equatorial Guinea, Sao Tome, Principe, Liberia,and Gambia.
The Director-General of the Ghana Maritime Authority (GMA), Peter Issaka Azuma, in his welcome address, commended the International Maritime Organization (IMO) for its sustained commitment to providing technical support for developing countries.
He reiterated Ghana’s preparedness to partner it to promote awareness on the importance of implementing the organization’s codes and instructions for developmental purposes in West Africa.
The Director-General stated that the objective of the seminar was to enable participants to acquire requisite knowledge and skills on ship routing services, aids to navigation and use of risk assessment techniques for shipping routes, as well as navigational channels within the sub-region.
The Minister of Transport, Dzifa Attivor, said Government attaches great importance to issues relating to ship routing systems and its impact on the safety of people at sea, as well as the protection of the marine environment.
The Minister reiterated the importance of the ship routing systems.
A representative of the International Maritime Organization (IMO), Beatrice Dzifa, said the importance of marine routing in the shipping industry to the development of a country cannot be overemphasized, as it ensures sustained prosperity of the global economy.
The Chairman for the occasion urged governments to consider the importance of fishermen in the marine industry and involve them in routing issues.
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