Parliament has passed the Maritime and Related Offences Bill, 2026, establishing a dedicated legal framework to combat piracy, armed robbery at sea and other maritime crimes in Ghana’s waters.

The legislation gives effect to the 1982 United Nations (UN) Convention on the Law of the Sea and the 1988 Convention for the Suppression of Unlawful Acts Against the Safety of Maritime Navigation and its Protocols.

According to the Committee’s report, the new law creates “a comprehensive legal regime for the prevention, investigation, prosecution and punishment of piracy, armed robbery at sea and other maritime offences.”

It also aligns Ghana’s criminal laws on piracy with Articles 100 to 105 of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).

Presenting the Committee’s report, Mr Isaac Adjei Mensah, Chairman of Parliament’s Roads and Transportation Committee, said the absence of a dedicated legal framework on maritime offences in Ghana had created enforcement and prosecutorial challenges in dealing with piracy and related crimes.

“Mr Speaker, the absence of a dedicated legal framework on maritime offences in Ghana creates enforcement and prosecutorial challenges in dealing with piracy and related crimes.

“The enactment of this Bill will, therefore, provide the necessary legal basis for the investigation, arrest, prosecution and punishment of offenders,” he stated.

The report noted that the Gulf of Guinea had experienced increasing maritime insecurity over the past decade, including vessel hijackings, kidnappings for ransom, armed robbery at sea and the destruction of maritime property.

It said these crimes posed significant threats to maritime trade, regional stability, economic development and the safety of seafarers, making a stronger legal and institutional framework necessary.

Lawmakers said the legislation was critical to Ghana’s ambition of becoming a maritime hub in the sub-region.

“This legal regime is critical to Ghana’s ambition of becoming a maritime hub in the Gulf of Guinea.

“By closing gaps in our maritime law, the Bill strengthens trade security and enhances state port control,” the report stated.

It added that the law would reinforce investor confidence, protect Ghana’s territorial waters and maritime economy, and “empower security agencies to act decisively, thereby ensuring that offenders face justice while safeguarding the livelihoods of our seafarers.”

The Committee expressed its full support for the Bill and urged its swift passage to secure Ghana’s maritime future.