A five-member committee has been set up to investigate circumstances leading to the death of two fishers in the early hours of Thursday, July 27.  

The committee is made up of representatives from National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO), Criminal Investigation Department (CID), National Investigations Bureau (NIB), Ghana National Fire Service and Tema Metropolitan Assembly (TMA)

Tema Metropolitan Chief Executive (MCE), Yohanne Amarh Ashitey who is the head of the Metropolitan Security Council said the committee has the mandate to unravel the truth as to what exactly happened at sea.

He disclosed this to Joy News after an emergency security meeting with stakeholders including police, fire service, NADMO and Ghana Navy among others.

“Those who are responsible are dealt with according to provisions of the law and the important lessons could be picked from the work of the committee to avert any recurrence in future”

“The conflicting nature of victims’ accounts makes it difficult to make informed decisions at the moment but the committee’s report will help address this,” he said.

The deceased were among 10 other fishers in a canoe when it capsized after a collision with a boat around the anchorage of the Tema port.

It took fishers in another canoe to rescue the victims. 

It has emerged that the fishers had left for sea as part of customary rites to usher in Homowo.

Meanwhile, Yohanne Amarh Ashitey was worried that the communication gap could be a major factor in the incident.

He believes enforcement of the closed season which also coincides with preparation towards Homowo in Tema could have played a role since some fishers had to go to sea ahead of the festival.

“The committee will help to identify the gaps. When it’s a closed season, all the coastal areas are affected and if there is the need for customary rite to be performed, then there should be some form of authorisation and decisions decision making from the security point of view,” he suggested.

The MCE said the report by the committee within the next 10 days will put to rest all speculations and any conflicting reports. 

Meanwhile, Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority (GPHA) in a press release has absolved itself of any blame having earlier been linked to the boat that collided with a canoe leading to the death of the two fishers.

The statement signed by Marketing and Public Affairs Manager, Tema, Abena Serwaa Opoku Fosu said there was never a collision between a security patrol boat and any fishing boat whatsoever.

The press release highlighted some incidents around the anchorage between Wednesday, July 26, and Thursday, July 27, 2023.

“The Port Control Station received a distress call at about 12:30 am from MV SEASPAN  DUBAI, for assistance to ward off several fishing boats that had surrounded their vessel.

"The security patrol team made up of Ghana Navy, Marine Police and GPHA timeously responded, cautioned, and asked the said boats to leave”

According to her, at 01:18 am MT. MARINA ‘M’ which was also at the anchorage called the port control station for assistance to ward off a suspicious-looking boat with about nine occupants.

The patrol team then responded by cautioning and directing the boat and its occupants to row out.

The statement added that the patrol team came across some fishermen around a vessel.

“On their way back, the patrol team chanced upon another set of fishermen who had cast their nets and were fishing within the terminal 3 basin close to a container vessel. The nets were seized, and then the men were led out of the basin,”

 All patrol activities are said to have been halted at 4:55 am on Thursday, July 27 without any incident of collision.

Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority however received a call from the Harbour Police unit that two bodies were discovered but the fishermen prevented the police custody on the grounds that the two died as a result of a collision with a GPHA tugboat.  

This the Authority described as untrue.

GPHA said despite the dangers of fishing within the port basin and anchorage, fishers continuously do illegal activities at the expense of their lives and that of vessels and cargo.

The Authority revealed when an arrest is effected over these breaches, the culprits and their nets are released after notifying their elders and Chief Fisherman without any fine.

GPHA emphasised that it values human lives and will not abandon victims in the event of a collision and used the occasion to extend its condolences to the bereaved families.