Navy foils pirate attack on tuna fishing vessel
The Ghana Navy on October 11, foiled pirates attack on a tuna fishing vessel off the coast of Aflao in the Volta Region.
The operation ended without any casualty to the vessel and its crew with the vessel currently engaging in fishing activities.
A statement signed and issued by Commander, Andy La-Anyane, Acting Director, Public Relations Directorate of the Ghana Armed Forces (GAF) in Accra on October 13 said, the attackers used two speed boats and approached the tuna vessel by name AFKO 805 which was operating 105 nautical miles south of Aflao.
It said the piracy situation in the Gulf of Guinea had created a sense of insecurity in the Region with fishing vessels often falling prey to pirates within the region.
In this regard, the Ghana Navy in recent times had doubled its patrols at sea to curb the numerous piracy attacks in the Gulf of Guinea making Ghana’s Exclusive Economic Zone one of the safest in the region.
The statement noted that the Ghana Navy was striving to maintain adequate security at sea to enable a conducive maritime environment for national development.
It said 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.
Additionally, the Ghana Navy in its quest to curb this menace, deployed armed naval personnel onboard fishing vessels in consultation with stakeholders in the industry, all aimed at ensuring a safe and secured maritime environment for the smooth operations of fishing and commercial vessels, the statement added.
It assured all vessels and their operators within Ghana’s maritime domain of the Ghana Navy’s eagerness to protect all those engaged in legal businesses and also fight all illegalities at sea.
The statement called for the co-operation of all partners to enable the nation achieve a safe maritime environment for national development.
BY TIMES REPORTER
