By Elsie Appiah-Osei
Accra, July 2, GNA- Parliament has passed the Maritime and Related Offences Bill, 2026, establishing a stronger legal framework to combat piracy, armed robbery at sea, vessel hijackings and other maritime crimes.
The legislation is expected to enhance the protection of Ghana’s territorial waters and strengthen the country’s position as a secure maritime hub within the Gulf of Guinea.
Moving the motion for the Second Reading of the Bill, Mr Joseph Nikpe Bukari, Minister of Transport, said the legislation was crucial for ensuring Ghana’s compliance with international maritime conventions while providing the legal mechanisms required to investigate and prosecute offences committed at sea.
He said the passage of the Bill would strengthen Ghana’s capacity to address piracy, armed robbery, vessel hijackings and other maritime-related offences effectively.
The Bill, when assented to by the President, will prohibit piracy, armed robbery at sea and related maritime offences, while giving legal effect to the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), the 1988 Convention for the Suppression of Unlawful Acts Against the Safety of Maritime Navigation (SUA Convention), and their associated protocols.
Presenting the report of Parliament’s Committee on Roads and Transport, Mr Isaac Adjei Mensah, Chairman of the Committee, said the Bill provides a comprehensive framework for the prevention, investigation, prosecution and punishment of maritime crimes.
The Committee observed that Ghana’s existing legal framework lacked specific provisions for the effective prosecution of maritime offences, resulting in enforcement and prosecutorial challenges despite the country’s growing maritime significance.
According to the report, the legislation aligns Ghana’s laws on piracy with Articles 100 to 105 of UNCLOS, thereby addressing legal gaps that have impeded the prosecution of offenders.
The Committee noted that piracy, vessel hijackings, kidnappings for ransom, armed robbery at sea and the destruction of maritime property continue to threaten maritime trade, regional security, economic development and the safety of seafarers within the Gulf of Guinea.
It said the new law would boost investor confidence, strengthen port state control, safeguard Ghana’s maritime resources and empower security agencies to investigate, arrest and prosecute offenders more effectively.
The passage of the Bill follows recent security incidents within Ghana’s maritime domain.
In February 2026, armed attackers reportedly robbed artisanal fishermen off the coast of Senya Beraku, making away with several outboard motors and leaving fishermen stranded at sea before they were rescued by the Ghana Navy and Ghana Air Force. Security analysts described the incident as evidence of evolving maritime threats.
In March 2025, suspected pirates boarded the Ghanaian-registered fishing vessel Mengxin 1, raising concerns about the vulnerability of commercial vessels operating in Ghanaian waters despite ongoing regional maritime security cooperation.
Although piracy incidents in the Gulf of Guinea have declined in recent years due to coordinated naval patrols and regional security initiatives, maritime security experts maintain that the region remains vulnerable to piracy, armed robbery and kidnapping for ransom.
The passage of the Maritime and Related Offences Bill, 2026, is therefore expected to strengthen Ghana’s ability to investigate, prosecute and punish maritime crimes, while enhancing maritime safety and fulfilling the country’s international obligations.
GNA
Edited by Lydia Kukua Asamoah
Reporter: Elsie Appiah-Osei