Navy Collects ¢2.3 Billion Fines For Ghana

The Ghana Navy has collected a total of ¢2.3 billion in the last three years in the form of fines imposed on 70 vessels for fishing illegally in Ghana's territorial waters.

The Chief of Naval Staff, Rear Admiral J.K. Gbenah, announced this during an inspection tour of facilities of the Western Naval Command. Rear Admiral Gbenah said the objective of the Ghana Navy's patrols was not just to protect the country against foreign attack, but also to guard the nation's marine fish stocks in order to sustain the local fishing industry.

Rear Admiral Gbenah stated that the government was in the process of negotiating a loan to finance the rehabilitation of many of the Ghana Navy's facilities in the Western Region. The rehabilitation projects planned would include the dredging of the harbour, and the repair of a broken section of the quay and other ancillary structures.

Real Admiral Gbenah said that the completion of those projects would enable the Naval Dockyard to undertake most of the routine maintenance works required on the Ghana Navy's fleets, which currently are carried out by the Tema Shipyard at considerable cost to the taxpayer.

The Chief of Naval Staff was happy with the manner in which the Ghana Navy had evacuated Ghanaians recently from Monrovia, Liberia and from Malabo in Equatorial Guinea. He noted that the value of Ghanaian society of the Navy depended upon the Navy's ability to rise up in defence of the citizens in times of emergency and disaster. “It depends on your ability to safeguard lives, property and the resources that go to improve the quality of life of the people”, he said.