Director-General of the Ghana Maritime Authority (GMA), Dr. Kamal-Deen Ali, has engaged stakeholders in the fishery sector on enhancing maritime safety, sustainable fishing practices, and combating illegal activities at sea.

The meeting was held to strengthen collaboration between the GMA and the National Fisheries Association of Ghana (NAFAG).

It was also to address concerns affecting Ghana's maritime sector, particularly the incursion of oil and gas protection zones, piracy, maritime security of vessels at sea and conditions of seafarers.

It became known during the engagement that the number of canoe incursions at the oil and gas zones rose to 78 in 2024 compared to 27 recorded in 2023.

Dr. Ali expressed concern over the rising number of canoes trespassing into restricted oil and gas protection zones at sea, describing the development as a serious threat to national safety and maritime security.

He noted that despite ongoing efforts to regulate Ghana's maritime domain, the unlawful presence of canoes within the zones continues to pose significant risks to both the fishing community and the country's offshore oil operations.

He said although the GMA acknowledges some challenges of artisanal fishers, the safety of Ghana's maritime space must not be compromised, adding that unauthorised presence does endanger lives and threatens the integrity of key national assets.

"One incursion is important, 10 is important, 20 is scary, and 50 or 70 is at an unacceptable level in terms of the industry standards. In fact, if these were happening in any developed country, they would have declared it a national crisis," he stated.

Touching on piracy, he underscored the grave threat it poses to maritime safety and national security, emphasising that the increasing incidents of piracy not only endanger the lives of seafarers but also disrupt essential maritime trade routes and exert a negative impact on the national economy.

According to him, the menace of piracy imposes substantial financial burdens on shipping companies, saying that the appropriate stakeholders would be engaged to strengthen the maritime surveillance systems and heightened vigilance across the country's territorial waters.

He mentioned that there would soon be a formal engagement aimed at addressing and improving the conditions of service for seafarers, acknowledging the essential role maritime workers play in sustaining the shipping industry.

Nana Jojo Solomon, President of NAFAG, thanked the Director-General for initiating the dialogue and acknowledged that incidents of canoe incursions were indeed a growing concern, giving the assurance of their readiness to cooperate fully with the GMA in addressing these issues.

Solomon noted that many of the canoe operators were not fully aware of the locations of these oil and gas zones or the risks involved in entering them, and thus appealed for educational outreach programmes to ensure that NAFAG members were better informed.

He added that NAFAG was committed to promoting safe fishing practices and would work with all stakeholders to reduce activities that posed a threat to the maritime space.