By Laudia Sawer
Tema, April 20, GNA – The Centre for International Maritime Affairs, Ghana (CIMAG) debunked a report by the International Maritime Bureau’s Piracy Reporting Centre (IMB PRC) indicating that Ghana has the highest piracy attacks in the region.
Mr. Albert Derrict Fiatui, Executive Director of CIMAG, reacting to the report, told the Ghana News Agency in Tema that its classification of piracy incidents in the Gulf of Guinea was misleading and citing Ghana as having the highest number of attacks was inaccurate.
He assured the shipping community that Ghana had not recorded any piracy incidents within the period of the report or the past year and urged the shipping community to remain vigilant and report any suspicious activity to the appropriate authorities.
He emphasized that “our waters are safe, and our businessmen should feel free to interact with their partners and ship their wares into the Gulf region.”
He said piracy, per the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, was the attack of vessels on the high seas, adding that armed robbery and theft were what happened in the internal waters.
“What was captured in the report, was what we experienced last year at the Port of Takoradi, which were three theft cases; so if we are following the definition strictly from the UNCLOS, the report is misleading,” he stated.
He expressed worry that such reports derailed efforts made by authorities to secure Ghana’s territorial waters, and also made the area unattractive for maritime business.
He said piracy issues were on the decline for the past few years; therefore, putting out such inaccurate reports placed the country in trouble as the fear of piracy would affect the countries connected to the Gulf of Guinea, as they were import-dependent economies and therefore must be corrected.
Mr. Fiatui disclosed that with such reports, people find it hard to become seafarers because of the challenges painted to them, adding that they put fear in them.
“Our young people who are interested in the maritime industry and want to become seafarers should know that a lot of work is being done to get rid of piracy and the fear that their lives will be in danger when they go on the sea,” he added.
GNA