National Maritime Committee warns of security lapses in Gulf of Guinea

The National Maritime Security Committee (MARSEC) has warned that the diversion of international naval fleets to East Africa amid resurgent Somali piracy risks creating a security vacuum in the Gulf of Guinea, potentially encouraging hijackings and hostage‑taking.

In its weekly information brief covering August 23–29, 2026, the Committee revealed that over 750 irregular migrants bound for Europe were recently intercepted off Senegal and Mauritania, indicating the scale of human smuggling networks operating across West Africa’s maritime domain.

The report cautioned that while Ghana’s coastal waters remain stable, external disruptions including migration shifts, chokepoint instability, and piracy resurgence are compounding economic and security risks.

“Trade rerouting around the Cape of Good Hope is driving up freight costs, insurance rates, and transit times by 10 to 14 days, with knock‑on effects inflating domestic fuel prices,” it added.

To mitigate these risks, MARSEC outlined urgent priorities including enhanced surveillance along Ghana’s western maritime boundary, immediate operationalization of the maritime offenses law, and deepened regional intelligence sharing.

It also urged strict enforcement of Automatic Identification System (AIS) tracking to expose “dark” vessels entering Ghana’s Exclusive Economic Zone, alongside unannounced spot audits of ISPS compliance at Tema and Takoradi ports.

The Committee further recommended rigorous container profiling and non‑intrusive inspections, mirroring Nigerian interdictions during the Tin Can Island arms seizure, and called for mandatory security standards on local fishing fleets to prevent opportunistic hostage‑taking.

Finally, MARSEC noted the need to deepen real‑time intelligence exchanges with Ivory Coast and Nigeria under the Yaoundé Architecture, while integrating Ghana’s Maritime Fusion Centre with regional hubs to ensure interoperability among partners.