The Ghana Navy has rescued seven suspected Ivorian stowaways from the rudder trunk of a Belgium-registered crude oil tanker, MT Cap Felix, during a maritime operation off the Tema coast. 

The operation, which unfolded in the deep waters of the Gulf of Guinea, saw the crew of the Ghana Navy Ship (GNS) Achimota intercept the MT Cap Felix, a massive, Belgian-registered crude oil carrier weighing approximately 82,000 tonnes.

The vessel had been heading south when it sounded a desperate alarm regarding security breaches on board.

The interception occurred approximately 200 nautical miles south of the Tema Harbour, following a coordinated cross-border intelligence effort.

The crisis began on Wednesday, 13 May 2026, when the Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire, relayed an urgent distress alert to Ghana’s Maritime Operations Centres.

The master of the MT Cap Felix had reported a terrifying discovery of a group of men who had clandestinely infiltrated the ship and wedged themselves inside the rudder trunk.

The rudder trunk is a confined compartment located above a ship’s propeller and used for steering, making it one of the most dangerous places for stowaways to hide.

Any sudden shift in sea currents or mechanical steering adjustments can prove fatal for occupants, who face the constant threat of drowning, being crushed by heavy machinery, or being swept away by propeller turbulence.

The Ghana Navy launched an immediate tactical response. Commodore Solomon Asiedu-Larbi, Flag Officer Commanding the Eastern Naval Command, detailed the timeline during a press briefing at the Naval Base in Tema.

He explained that GNS Achimota departed Tema Harbour at about 19:00 hours on Wednesday to intercept the tanker at sea.

Navigating through pitch-black conditions across hundreds of miles of open ocean, the naval vessel successfully caught up with the Belgian tanker.

In a delicate and physically demanding operation, naval personnel successfully extricated the seven male suspects from the vessel and transported them safely to Tema Harbour aboard the naval ship.

All seven individuals were found to be in good medical condition. They had managed to endure the suffocating heat, dampness, and deafening engine noise without sustaining severe physical injuries.

Preliminary investigations conducted by state security agencies have since established that all seven suspects are nationals of Côte d’Ivoire. However, intelligence briefs indicate that they reportedly belong to a Ghanaian community residing in that country.

The group had launched their high-risk journey from Abidjan, the vessel’s last official port of call, clandestinely boarding the tanker while it was anchored off the Ivorian coast, in hopes of migrating illegally to Europe.

The seven men have since been handed over to the Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority (GPHA), the Ghana Immigration Service (GIS), and the Marine Police for further investigations and possible legal action.

Commodore Asiedu-Larbi used the platform to reaffirm the Ghana Navy’s commitment to safeguarding Ghana’s maritime domain and the wider Gulf of Guinea against piracy, illegal migration, and other transnational crimes.

He also commended maritime stakeholders for their collaboration and timely information sharing, which contributed to the successful rescue operation.