Ghana thanks Togo and Benin after seven fishermen rescued
By the AFREEQUE newsroom, based on MyJoyOnline
Seven Ghanaian fishermen, missing for two weeks after an outboard motor failure, were rescued through coordination with Togo, Benin and maritime partners. Ghanaian Fisheries Minister Emelia Arthur announced talks to equip fishermen with tracking beacons and called for compliance with maritime safety rules.
Ghana’s Minister of Fisheries and Aquaculture, Emelia Arthur, thanked the governments of Togo and Benin and their maritime partners for their role in rescuing seven Ghanaian fishermen. She was speaking at a ceremony welcoming the men, who had been missing for two weeks after the outboard motor of their canoe, which had departed from Ngyeresia, broke down, reports MyJoyOnline.
A Ghanaian navy report says the fishermen had drifted up to 220 kilometres offshore from Ghanaian waters, beyond their intended destination. A distress call from the canoe’s owner to the police triggered the search, which was conducted by the police, navy, maritime services and local fishermen using boats and aircraft.
Emelia Arthur said the ministry was discussing with companies in the sector the acquisition of tracking devices and other equipment to facilitate locating people at sea. She also called on fishermen to comply with the rules of the Fisheries Commission and chief fishermen, adding that local regulations backed by sanctions were being considered.
Nana Kwesi Ackon, chief fisherman of Ngyeresia, asked the government to monitor the technical standards of imported outboard motors. According to him, 13 canoes had been stranded at sea in recent months following similar failures. The minister recalled that three million Ghanaians work in the fishing industry and called for maritime safety to be made a shared responsibility.
The seven fishermen had been reported missing and were then rescued after two weeks at sea, as reported in the announcement of the rescue of the seven Ghanaian fishermen.
