By Thomas K. Alonsi, Director-General, GMA.

ON THURSDAY THE 28^TH September 2023, we will celebrate yet another World Maritime Day, a day set aside by the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) to recognize arguably the most important industry on which humanity and human existence as we know it depends, to a very large extent.

It is not being dramatic when we say that but for the maritime industry, half of the world would freeze to, and the remaining half would starve to, death. International shipping is responsible for the carriage of 90 percent of world trade and therefore constitutes the lifeblood of the global economy.

Indeed, the International Chamber of Shipping estimates that, yearly, “the shipping industry transports nearly 2 billion tons of crude oil, 1 billion tons of iron ore (the raw material needed to create steel), and 350 million tons of grain. These shipments would not be possible by road, rail or air.”

More importantly, these “raw materials allow countries to create industries, construct cities, house and move populations, and transform resources into refined products for re-export. This ability to add value drives prosperity, and enables developing countries to scale up,” the Chamber added.

In Ghana, our economy is heavily dependent on the export of raw materials and import of finished products through mainly shipping.

Large volumes of key products such as chemicals, refined fuels and manufactured goods are shipped by sea, making it possible for people to live a meaningful life.

In spite of its important contribution to the global economy, shipping also contributes in significant ways to carbon pollution of the marine environment and the atmosphere in general, after all, it is said that he who fetches the water breaks the pot.

But recognizing that ‘if he who fetches the water continuous to break the pot the water will never get fetched’, the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) has over the years, put in place measures to save the marine environment.

There have been relentless efforts at the global level aimed at reducing and ultimately curbing the shipping industry’s reliance on fossil fuel and instead, using cleaner and renewable energies.

The IMO has since 1973 when it promulgated the International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships (MARPOL), worked tirelessly to save the marine environment.

It was, therefore, not surprising when the 2023 theme for both the Day of Seafarer and the World Maritime Day focused on reducing maritime pollution. Beyond carbon emissions, one major source of pollution of the marine environment is oil spills. The Convention covers prevention of pollution of the marine environment by ships from operational or accidental causes.

It imposes on all member states, an obligation to put systems in place for the prevention of pollution and for containing pollution when accidents occur,

Consequently, the theme for this year’s World Maritime Day celebration is “MARPOL at 50 – Our commitment goes on.” To underscore the importance of the campaign to protect the marine environment, this year’s Day of Seafarer, celebrated on June 25, had the same theme.

In Ghana, our commitment to maritime pollution prevention indeed goes on.

On September 9, 2023, the President of the Republic, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, commissioned our new multi-purpose vessel christened MV Esther Afua Ocloo, after the Ghanaian industrialist who pioneered canned foods under the brand name, Nkulenu.

In furtherance of the IMO’s repeated efforts for member States to establish measures for the control and prevention of pollution of the maritime environment from oil spills, the Authority took important and definitive actions to prevent and reduce pollution of our waters by helping enact the Maritime Pollution Act, 2016  (Act 932)  to provide for the prevention, regulation and control of maritime pollution within the territorial waters of Ghana and other maritime zones under the control of Ghana.

With the legislation passed, the Authority acquired a multi-purpose vessel for operation within the framework of the maritime emergency response in Ghanaian waters in the fight against oil spills and for executing other emergency operations.

Currently, the GMA has two boats dedicated to Search and Rescue (SAR) which are also installed with oil spill containment equipment including booms with the aim of cordoning off oil spills.

The Authority has held simulation exercises in the containment and prevention of the spread of oil spills. The pollution prevention Staff of the Authority are adequately trained in the fast and efficient deployment of these equipment to control and mitigate the effects of an oil spill (Tier 1 spills).

The vessel, MV AFUA OCLOO has an overall length of 40.00m, a moulded breadth of 7.60m, a moulded depth of 3.65m with a draught of 1.89m. It is fitted with 3 units Cummins KTA36-m2 engines. The vessel is fitted with 3 units Caterpillar SR4 Alternator 86eKW generators. It is also fitted with State-of-the-art oil spill recovery system made up of Desmi DBD 16 combination skimmer, HARBO oil spill Boom, an oil spray Dispersant System capable of handling TIER 1 and 2 spills in the harbour and offshore. It has Aerial Drones for wide area surveillance for the purposes of picking up relevant information for timely response.

The ship was constructed by renowned shipbuilders, Penguin Shipyard Asia Pte Ltd. of Singapore. They were chosen because of their track record worldwide and their excellent delivery time.

Given the rapid expansion of the Ports and Offshore activities in the country, the Ghana Maritime Authority (GMA) thought it necessary to expand our Oil Spill Response Recovery strategy to meet the growing demand. In addition to these measures, the Authority has a long-term plan to increase the number of vessels and equipment, train and equip staff to respond to Tier 1 and 2 oil spills, put in the necessary measures to detect spills within Ghana’s maritime jurisdiction, and engage in stakeholder collaboration and workshops to create awareness and preparedness.

A better equipped and prudently run Authority

Since 2017, the Ghana Maritime Authority under the guidance of the Honourable Minister for Transport, Mr. Kwaku Ofori Asiamah, and the governing Board, chaired by Mr. Robert Kingsford Kutin, has aggressively pursued its mandate with vigour.

The Authority undertook massive removal of tree stumps from various channels on the Volta Lake to ensure our people who rely on water transport in these parts can commute safely for economic and social activities. In all, about 21,000 tree stumps were removed. This constituted the removal of 2,200 tree stumps on 2.5 kilometres of waterways from Dambai to Dodoikope, 3,550 tree stumps on 8 kilometres of waterways from Yeji to Makango, 4,800 tree stumps on 11 kilometres of waterways from Yeji to Awujakope and 10,490 tree stumps on 30 kilometres of waterways from Tumpunjah to Kodorkope to Dambai to Njare, all along the Volta Lake. This has significantly reduced boat accidents and their attendant deaths on these channels.

Trash Skimmers For Removing Aquatic Weeds

The Authority acquired three trash skimmers, two of which have been presented to the Volta River Authority which are helping remove sea weeds (water hyacinth) which posed serious risks to electricity generation at the Kpong Hydro Dam.

Managers of the VRA praised the GMA for the foresight because they said their power generation machinery were at the peril of invasive seaweeds which if not removed could clog the equipment and cause them to malfunction, resulting in their inability to generate power. This could plunge parts of the country into darkness.

These weeds also significantly hampered fishing by locals who largely depended on the industry for their sustenance. Some fishers were filled with gratitude after the vessels started to clear parts of the Volta River where fishing had become practically impossible.

Maritime Safety and Port Security

As part of our agenda to make our ports safe and secure, the Authority procured speed boats with which we instituted night patrols around the anchorage areas of the Tema and Takoradi ports, earning the country a good reputation for their safety, security and cleanliness.

Not too long ago, the Captain of a Panamanian-flagged vessel, Meloi, Captain Arnold Mendez had cause to say that “I have been to ports…maybe all over Africa and so far this is the safest place and also the cleanest place. This is not because I am with you but truly, even if you ask the Chinese on the other vessels here, they will observe that.”

 

This testimony is shared by many who captain ships into our ports and who laud the Authority for taking steps to improve port security and give them the necessary peace of mind.

 

The night patrols are conducted in collaboration with the Ghana Navy and Marine Police.

 

Efficient running of Authority

 

In the last few years, great strides have been made in many spheres of the running of the Authority.

Recently, the Chairman of Parliament’s Public Accounts Committee, the Honourable James Clutse Avedzi, praised the Authority for its prudent financial management and tasked management to continue “with the good work.” This was after the committee reviewed the report of the Auditor-General on the Authority.

When the Authority appeared before the Committee, Mr Avedzi said, “Your financial performance looks very good. In 2020 you made a surplus….which is about 26% of the previous year and this is as a result of a 78% increase in your other incomes, 34% (increase) in your maritime safety charges and about 15% increase in your service charges.”

On the Authority’s financial position, the Chairman observed that, “your ratio of 4.7 is also very good. So, I just want to congratulate you and also encourage you to maintain your performance level.”

He concluded his brief remarks by stating emphatically that, “You don’t have any management issue, so congratulations!

We will continue to make the investments necessary to keep our waters truly safe, clean, and secure!

Happy World Maritime Day!