Crew of sunken fishing vessel rescued

All the 20-member crew of the fishing vessel that sunk in the waters between Cape Coast and Elmina last Monday have been rescued.

Mr. Emmanuel Nii Botchway, Secretary to the Sekondi branch of the Ghana Inshore Fisheries Association (GIFA), told Ghana News Agency in Sekondi on Thursday.

He said the crew who are mostly from Winneba, have re-united with their families.

Mr. Botchway said the fishing vessel with registration number GR 035 TM and inscription “The Truth Number One” was sailing from Sekondi to Tema when it encountered strong winds and waves around 1730 hours.

He said sea water engulfed the vessel whilst the crew tried to salvage the situation by pumping out the water but this proved futile.

Mr Botchway said the crew members then boarded two “Bay boats” of the vessel when it began sinking but the boats run out of fuel and drifted in the night.

He said fishermen on a bigger canoe spotted the crew and rescued one of the boats which had 12 people on board to Elmina and informed the Chief Fisherman there of what had happened.

Mr. Botchway said the following day, rescue teams were sent to sea to look for the other “Bay boat” which had eight people on board.

He said the boat and crew members were later found at Amunah near Saltpond.

Mr Botchway appealed to the authorities to bring down maintenance charges at the boat yards to enable fishermen to regularly maintain their vessels.