In a bid to ensure safety and protect the country’s marine domain, including offshore oil and gas installations, the Ghana Navy has taken delivery of four new fighter vessels.
The acquisition is to enhance its capacity to preserve and protect safety on the high seas of the country.
The vessels, which will be manned by Naval captains with international ratings, are equipped with the needed logistics to protect national installations and also deter and make Ghana’s adjoining coast safer.
Ghana Navy Ships (GNSs) Volta, Densu, Pra and Ankobra, which arrived on board a merchant’s vessel, MV BBC Nile in the early hours of last Saturday are currently at the quayside of Takoradi port.
The purpose of the acquisition of the flex-fighter boats is to boost efforts to make Ghana’s maritime space safer, unattractive to pirates and other illegal activities.
This also forms part of the government’s agenda to equip the Ghana Navy to provide security for offshore installations and other national assets.
The lack of such a fleet had compelled oil companies to hire private boats to provide security for their offshore oil and gas installations.
Daily Graphic sources at the Ministry of Defence, in an interview, said henceforth, only Ghana Navy ships would be allowed to protect offshore oil and gas activities in the country.
Hence, it described as unfortunate the current arrangement where oil companies hired civilian commercial boats flying their countries’ flags, with state-armed guards.
The ministry, said the acquisition of the new vessels will make the practice a thing of the past.
There have been growing piracy and other criminal activities in the Gulf of Guinea in recent times. The Ghana Navy has been conducting maritime exercises to demonstrate its resolve to deal with issues of piracy, illegal fishing, smuggling and other criminal activities in Ghana’s territorial waters.
The four vessels were still fastened to the ship deck at the Takoradi Ports, where the vessels will be ushered into the Home Port of the Western Naval Command.
