The Western Regional Marine Police Command has launched a search for a fishing canoe, Second Chance, and its seven crew members after the vessel failed to return from a fishing expedition off the coast of Axim.
The operation involves the Ghana Navy, Ghana Maritime Authority (GMA), Fisheries Commission, coastal police stations and fishing communities, with efforts focused on determining the canoe’s last known location and tracing the missing crew.
According to the Western Regional Police Command, the canoe’s owner, Nana Kweku Atta, reported the incident at the Fishing Harbour Police Station in Sekondi on Sunday, October 18.
He told police that Second Chance left the Sekondi Fishing Harbour on Friday, October 9, for a fishing trip off Axim but had not returned as expected.
Preliminary investigations have revealed that attempts to reach the seven crew members have so far been unsuccessful, leaving their whereabouts unknown.
Information received by the police suggests that the canoe may have developed engine problems while at sea, potentially causing it to drift from its intended fishing grounds towards Tema and the Volta coast.
However, authorities have yet to establish the vessel’s last known position, a development that remains central to the ongoing search.
In a statement signed by the Head of the Public Affairs Unit of the Western Regional Police Command, Chief Superintendent Olivia Et Adiku, the police said relevant maritime and security agencies had been notified to assist in locating the canoe and its crew.
The Western Naval Command, Ghana Maritime Authority and Fisheries Commission are among the agencies involved. Coastal police stations have also been alerted, while chief fishermen and the Eastern Naval Command in Tema have been asked to support the search efforts.
