By Christiana Afua Nyarko, GNA
Tema, March 24, GNA – Commodore Maxwell Arhin, the Flag Officer Commanding (FOC), Eastern Naval Command, says the Ghana Tourism Authority (GTA) can leverage some of the Command’s sea exercises to promote global tourism in the country.
He said a similar collaboration yielded great results in 2019 during the year of return and could be revisited.
Commodore Arhin said this in an address to uniformed personnel and civilians selected to cross to the Equator (The centre of the earth) for the first time on Ghana Navy Ships (GNS) ANKOBRA and VOLTA, supported by US Navy ship (USS) Hershel Woody Williams during Exercise Sea Lion 2024.
He said Ghana was the closest country to the centre of the world and that the Ghana Navy considered the location a strategic area.
“In 2019, the Ghana Navy collaborated with the Ghana Tourism Authority, and it was a huge success,” the Flag Officer Commanding said.
He also commended the Western and Eastern Naval Commands for their unwavering commitment and dedication and the Chief of Naval Staff (CNS) for roles played in making the 2024 version of the exercise a success.
Lieutenant General Thomas Oppong-Pepprah, Chief of the Defence Staff (CDS), in an address, said military exercises such as the Sea Lion would build capacities of the Ghana Armed Forces after flagging off the troops to set participating ships on sail.
“The joint nature of the Exercise will help build interoperability for future operations. Contemporary security threats such as piracy and terrorism in the west African subregion require a capable and robust personnel, well trained and equipped to deal with them,” he said.
The 2024 version of Exercise Sea lion had two of Ghana Navy’s River-class ships, GNS ANKOBRA and GNS VOLTA and made a voyage to the equator (also known as Crossing-the-line), beginning on the evening of Tuesday 19, March at the Eastern Naval Base at Tema.
GNS ANKOBRA and VOLTA had a total of 43 and 42 persons onboard respectively.
They included Naval Officers and ratings, other uniformed personnel from the Army, ex-ratings and civilians, including journalists.
As an ancient naval tradition, dating back to the 1520s, all novice sailors, both personnel and civilians, who successfully crossed the equator on Thursday morning, underwent a ceremony of baptism amongst other interesting rites to confirm them as seamen.
The rites were performed by the captains of the two ships, who assumed the role of King Neptune – the ancient Roman sea deity.
On the morning of Friday 22, March, the two ships returned with all onboard to the Western Naval base at Sekondi where the exercise was climaxed with a joint military operation by the Ghana Navy Special Boat Squadron, the Army Special Operations Brigade, and the Ghana Air Force Fighter Squadron.
The last Exercise Sea Lion was held in 2020 in October under the leadership of Vice Admiral Seth Amoama (Rtd) with GNS YAA ASANTEWAA, GNS GARINGA, GNS EHWOR and GNS BLIKA.
It had a team of 229 personnel, including seven females, and the former CNS.
GNA