Two years after the mysterious disappearance of a 29-year old Ghanaian fishing observer, Emmanuel Essien, Police say investigations remain inconclusive.

A 26-member crew made up of 20 Chinese nationals and six Ghanaians, including Essien, had set sail for operation from the Tema Fishing Harbour on July 5, 2019, aboard a Chinese Meng Xin 15 vessel.

But around 7 p.m. On that faithful day, cabin crew members claimed while operating on Apam waters; they detected that Essien was not on board, forcing the crew to suspend fishing operations in search of him.

To date, the search continues as Emmanuel Essien is still missing.

Briefing the media on progress report so far, Acting Director of the Maritime Service Division says the authority hands tied as police investigations two years on remains inconclusive.

"What happens under the Ghanaian law is that to declare somebody dead, you should produce the corpse of the person; currently, the corpse of Mr Essien is not available, investigations are inconclusive, and so we have not been able to pronounce him dead or prosecute anyone," he said.

In a bid to curb maritime crimes and ward off pirates at sea, the Ghana Martine Authority says it is stepping up surveillance to protect in-land shores.

It comes as piracy activities mainly dominant in the Gulf of Guinea continue to spread, with Ghana at risk of an invasion.

Director-General of the Ghana Maritime Authority, Thomas Kofi Alonsi, says they have so far acquired nine patrol boats from 2018 to date to help security officials do their job.

"Piracy has become a topical issue within the sub-region; the gulf of guinea has earned an unenviable reputation of being a hot spot for piracy. I’m sure you have also heard of some piracy activities that border on our own territorial waters.

"To deal with this menace, the Authority together with all coastal states have put in place measures to ensure that the maritime domain is secure. We have stepped up surveillance and acquired new patrol boats to help security officials," he said.

The Authority is also pushing for the amendment of section 193 and 194 country's piracy laws to give the Authority powers to prosecute pirates apprehended within Ghanaian territorial waters.

Also, fisherfolks in the Volta Regional enclave can now heave a sigh of relief as the Maritime Authority says they have removed about 21,000 tree stumps on the Volta Lake, reducing the number of ferry accidents in the area.

"Apart from the human element, i.e. incompetency’s like overloading and drunkenness of boat operators, the main causes of accident on the Volta lake includes the absence of defined safe navigational channels.

"The Authority has, therefore, embarked on the removal of submerged tree stumps that constitute hazards of navigation so in all about 21,000 tree stumps in various routes on the Volta lake has been removed between the year 2018-2021," he said.