On 9 October 2026, seven fishermen from Sekondi set out from Axim in the Western Region aboard a canoe named Second Chance. Their journey turned perilous three days later when the outboard motor failed and repairs proved impossible, leaving the crew without power, food or sufficient drinking water.
According to the 29‑year‑old Kwamena Nkum, the crew’s provisions were exhausted five days after the engine stopped. “We usually spend five days at sea, but this time, our motor became faulty on the third day. It just went off. We tried to fix it, but it didn’t work. Our food and water got finished,” he recounted.
With supplies gone, the men drank seawater, boiling it to reduce saltiness, and ate fish from their catch. When the fish spoiled, they used hooks and lines to catch fresh fish. Fuel and matches were initially available, but charcoal ran out, forcing them to burn wood taken from their canoe to cook.
After drifting for several days, the crew finally spotted land at night. One fisherman, still awake, alerted the others. They switched on their mobile phones and received a call from a friend, Kingsley, who was in contact with people back home. They attempted to establish their location, initially believing they were in Togo, before realizing they had drifted into Beninese waters.
“We had no food left. We were very hungry,” Nkum said. Kingsley and the fishing leaders contacted the chief fisherman in Benin, who supplied the stranded men with food and water. Local fishing communities and the Beninese and Togolese navies then assisted the crew.
On 21 October, a Togolese naval vessel handed the fishermen over to the Ghana Navy at the Ghana‑Togo maritime border. A joint search‑and‑rescue operation brought the men safely to the Fishing Harbour in Tema. The crew was identified as Kofi Emmanuel (32), Uncle Amoah (45), Kwamena Nkum (29), Kofi Aboagye (36), Doboa (35), Agya Badu (42) and Kwamena Akyem (40).
Reflecting on the ordeal, Nkum stressed the importance of backup equipment. “Carrying a second outboard motor could have helped prevent the emergency from escalating,” he said.
