Ghana Navy foils pirate attack on fishing vessel

The Ghana Navy on Monday October 11, 2021 successfully foiled a piracy attempt on a Tuna Fishing Vessel, AFKO 805 by warding off the pirates who were onboard two speed boats.

Commander Andy La-Anyane, Acting Director 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 onboard 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 our 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.