This project was funded by the Embassy of Denmark in Accra and implemented by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime through the Global Maritime Crime Programme, in partnership with the Ghana Navy.

Speaking at the event, Amado Philip de Andres, the Regional Representative for the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) Office for West and Central Africa (ROSEN), stated that the construction of the Ship-in-a-Box (SIAB) simulator aims to enhance and support Visit, Board, Search and Seizure (VBSS) training for military and civilian maritime law enforcement personnel within the countries under the ECOWAS Zone F region.

With the completion of the Ship-in-a-Box (SIAB) simulator, it is expected that the quality of VBSS training will be greatly improved at a lower cost and a higher level of safety.

The simulator can be used for repeated practical exercises involving various maritime crime scenarios without incurring significant fuel and boat maintenance costs required for conducting exercises.

Additionally, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, in partnership with the Ghana Navy and with funding from the Government of Denmark, supported the upgrade of the Centre to a VBSS Centre of Excellence for training military and civilian maritime law enforcement personnel from the countries under the ECOWAS Zone F region.

As part of this upgrade, a Ship-in-a-Box (SIAB) simulator has been constructed. During the event, Denmark’s Foreign Affairs Minister to Ghana, Lars Lokke Rasmussen, emphasized that Denmark strongly supports the principle of freedom of navigation at sea, and their partnership with Ghana plays a vital role in securing the maritime domain.

Finally, the Minister of Defence, Dominic Nitiwul, called on the Naval Training Command at Nutekpor in the South District to make good use of the Ship-in-a-Box for its intended purpose and thanked the Embassy of Denmark in Accra for their continuous support and collaboration with the government.

Source: Odehyeba Owusu Job

According to the GAF, the operation was conducted in the early hours of Saturday 16 December 2023 between 3:00 am and 8:00 am with intelligence gathered during night foot patrols on Friday 15 December 2023.

A statement issued by GAF on Monday, December 18 indicated that, the Detachment laid ambush at 2 locations from 3:00 am waiting for the movement of the canoes.

At about 4:00 am, the first Ambush Team sighted 3 canoes involved in the illegality proceeding at high speed past their location. Unfortunately, the suspects did not proceed in the direction of the main Ambush Team as anticipated, so the first team of 3 men chased and intercepted the third canoe.

The 3 suspects on the third canoe dived into the river and escaped, abandoning the canoe and its contents after a scuffle with the naval personnel.

The other 2 canoes escaped towards the estuary and could not be apprehended by the main Ambush Team after a follow-up chase.

The Detachment confiscated 45 sacks of suspected marijuana yet to be weighed and valued. The confiscated items have been conveyed to the Naval Base at Tema for further investigation.

The vessel, handed to the Navy at a short ceremony at its headquarters in Burma Camp, Accra, is 20 by eight feet, with two hulls and complete with a transport cradle. 

According to Dr Ebenezer Kakra Hammah, the CEO of Mchammah Engineering Ltd, the building and handing over of the vessel, formed part of collective efforts to provide indigenous solutions to safeguard Ghana’s maritime safety and interests. 

“We firmly believe that by collaborating and forming partnerships, we can instigate positive change and encourage the implementation of locally driven solutions for the betterment of our beloved nation,” he said. 

Vice Admiral Seth Amoama, the Chief of Naval Staff (CNS), noted how the act of benevolence by Mchammah Ltd, augmented the efforts of the Ghana Navy.  

The CNS said the collaboration was not only vital to the security of the country but a proof of the sense of commitment by local businesses to assist the Navy in executing its service to the country. 

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This forms part of a rescue mission to get the victims to safe haven.

Commodore EA Kwafo from the Naval Training Command disclosed this during an update on the floods at Mepe in the Volta Region on Monday.

“We were keeping watch on critical infrastructure and as of yesterday evening, we had evacuated over 8,000 flood-stricken people to safe havens, and we have brought over ten more boats downstream and experienced divers and lifesavers to assist in the rescue efforts,” he said.

Commodore Kwafo explained that the rescue team is monitoring critical infrastructure and responding to distress calls in order to neutralise the effect of the damage caused by the spillage.

“We are monitoring critical infrastructure as well as responding to distress calls from the District Assemblies, VRA, and NADMO, and we have been rescuing people on the water, and we are monitoring the estuary because it becomes a deathtrap in times of flooding,” he stated.

Commodore Kwafo indicated that, more personnel and logistics would be deployed if the need arise.

“Depending on how it goes, we may bring in more facilities and more personnel. If the situation improves, we may be keeping a watch anyway, and we are ready to respond to any distress call and help save lives and properties to help mitigate the losses during these difficult times,” he assured.

Thousands of residents in South Tongu, North Tongu, Central Tongu, Asuogyaman, and several other areas have had their homes submerged due to the spillage, which commenced on September 15.

The spillage is due to a consistent rise in the inflow pattern and water level of the Akosombo reservoir.

It has become a necessary evil because the dam risks a possible break which will wreak severe havoc if the spillage is not done.

Meanwhile, political figures including President Akufo-Addo and former President John Mahama have visited the areas to solidarise with the victims.

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The vessels, which will be operated by Naval captains with international ratings, are equipped with the needed logistics to protect national installations and also deter and make Ghana’s adjoining coast safer.

The lack of such a fleet had compelled oil companies to hire private boats to provide security for their offshore oil and gas installations.

Speaking to Daily Graphic, a source at the Ministry of Defence said the new vessels would be allowed to protect offshore oil and gas activities in the country.

It described the current arrangement where oil companies hired civilian commercial boats flying their countries’ flags, with state-armed guards, as unfortunate and claimed with the acquisition of the new vessels, the practice would now become a thing of the past.

There have been growing piracy and other criminal activities in the Gulf of Guinea in recent times.

As a deterrent measure, the Ghana Navy has been carrying out maritime exercises to demonstrate its resolve to deal with issues of piracy, illegal fishing, smuggling and other criminal activities in Ghana’s territorial waters.

Per reports, the vessels will be ushered into the Home Port of the Western Naval Command after the offload, where the President, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, will name and commission them to begin service.

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They did so by warding off the pirates who were onboard two speed boats.

Commander Andy La-Anyane, Acting Director of Public Relations at the Ghana Navy in a statement said “on Monday, October 11, 2021, at about 0200 hours, the Navy successfully warded off pirates onboard two-speed boats who suspiciously approached the tuna vessel operating 105 nautical miles south of Aflao”.

Commander La-Anyane said the operation ended without any casualty to the vessel and its crew.

The vessel, he noted continued to be engaged in its lawful fishing activities.

“The Ghana Navy in recent times doubled its patrols at sea to curb the numerous piracy attacks in the Gulf of Guinea making our Exclusive Economic Zone one of the safest in the Region,” he assured.

He said the piracy situation in the Gulf of Guinea had created a sense of insecurity in the Region as fishing vessels fell prey to pirates within the region, noting however that, “in Ghana, the Navy has strived to maintain adequate security at sea to enable a conducive maritime environment for national development.”

He added that the Chief of the Naval Staff recently visited his counterparts in Nigeria, Benin, and Togo as a way of seeking their cooperation to combat the regional menace.

He said in addition, the Ghana Navy in its quest to curb the menace, decided to deploy armed naval personnel on board fishing vessels in consultation with stakeholders in the industry aimed at ensuring a safe and secured maritime environment for the smooth operations of fishing and commercial vessels.

“The Ghana Navy, however, assures all vessels and their operators within the maritime domain of our eagerness to protect all those engaged in legal businesses and also accost all those engaged in illegalities,” he said and therefore called for the cooperation of all partners to enable Ghana achieve a safe maritime environment for national development.

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