Ghana Navy moves to improve maritime security

The Director of Naval Operations, Naval Captain Ebenezer Kwame Yirenkyi, has said that the Ghana Navy (GN) would increase its dominance on the sea, to deter criminals and prevent the creation of maritime havens.In order to achieve such domi­nance, Naval Captain Yirenkyi said the GN had upgraded its opera­tions, ship patrolling, electronic monitoring from the maritime operation centres, and the sharing of information with neighbouring countries and partners.Naval Captain Yirenkyi was speaking at a press conference held at the Naval Headquarters, Burma Camp, on Wednesday, following a visit by a French delegation com­prising the Commanding Officer and some crew members of the French Navy offshore patrol vessel named Commandant Ducuing.

He said that the GN had two ships stationed permanently around Ghana’s oil fields to pro­vide security for offshore plat­forms.The delegation was led by the French Defence Attaché to Ghana, Colonel Gregoire Madelin.The visit formed part of the French Navy’s contributions to the Gulf of Guinea’s maritime security and the operations of Comman­dant Ducuing, which docked on Tuesday, April 15, 2025, at the Tema Port, and left on Monday, April 22, 2025.



Naval Captain Yirenkyi at­tributed the consistent decline in maritime security since 2022 to the close collaboration between neighbouring coastal countries and international partners in addressing the issue.He said investigations were ongoing into the piracy attack in Ghanaian waters on March 27, 2025, on a Ghanaian registered fishing vessel by name MENGXIN 1, which led to the kidnapping of three sailors of Chinese nationality to an unknown destination.Naval Captain Yirenkyi said Ghanaian Intelligence and law en­forcement agencies were working to resolve the issue.

He said that the visit by the French Navy highlighted the im­portance of collaboration between stakeholders and international partners in addressing maritime security issues.Colonel Madelin revealed that France was holding discussions with other African countries, to find out if they wanted more or less military partnerships.According to him, France was not using the Commandant Ducu­ing Port Call at the Tema Port as one of the means “to claw back some lost grounds after experienc­ing disaffection against its military in the West African states.

”“France is not at war with any­one. There might be some political discussions, but not as far as the armed forces are concerned”, Col­onel Madelin said.He stated that France was not only fighting against piracy with her Navy, but was also supporting the efforts of governments in the Gulf of Guinea region, including Ghana, to fight against the roots of piracy.

BY BENJAMIN ARCTON-TETTEYThe post Ghana Navy moves to improve maritime security appeared first on Ghanaian Times..